U.S. Coast Guard Suspends Search for Missing Reefer Ship Crewmember

[Brief] On Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard suspended a 24-hour search for a missing seafarer about 1,200 miles northeast of Bermuda.

Watchstanders from the Coast Guard Fifth District Command Center received a call from Portugal Maritime Rescue Coordination Center Ponta Delgada in the early hours of Saturday morning. The center reported that a man had gone into the water from the 540-foot container/reefer vessel Baltic Klipper.

The Coast Guard dispatched a C-130 Hercules aircraft from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City and called for the help of nearby vessels via the Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue System (AMVER). Coast Guard crews searched over 980 square miles for the missing man, but the search was ultimately unsuccessful. 

"Our condolences, thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of the individual during these hard times.” said Capt. Timothy Eason, chief of incident management for the Coast Guard's Fifth District. “We appreciate the international coordination efforts with the maritime rescue community in Portugal, as well as those enrolled in the Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue System. The coordinated efforts demonstrated dedication and focus by completing a full and extensive search.”

The Baltic Klipper is a 15,000 dwt reefer / container ship built in 2010. As of Sunday, she was under way once more, bound for the Netherlands.