USCG Assists Marshall Islands in Search for Overdue Sea Ambulance

The U.S. Coast Guard has been called in to provide support to The Republic of the Marshall Islands as a challenge search is underway for an overdue sea ambulance. Officials are citing the complex nature of the search with the U.S. Department of Defense approving the efforts to support the U.S.’s long-time partner in the Pacific.

The 37-foot fiberglass vessel departed Majuro Bridge at midday on March 3 with four personnel aboard bound for Milli Atoll, a trip of approximately 67 miles. It was operating as part of the country’s TB Mass screening campaign.

The alerts were issued at 2200 local time Monday night when the vessel was officially declared overdue. A hospital vessel from Milli Atoll launched a search while the Marshall Islands also deployed search teams aboard its patrol boats Lomor 02 and Lomor 03. The U.S. assisted with the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Honolulu initially supplying drift calculations to the teams from the Marshall Islands.

The rescue vessels Lomor 02 and Lomor 03 reported no sightings on March 4 prompting the Marshall Islands to request U.S. Coast Guard aerial support. The U.S. deployed a USCG Hercules team from Hawaii and also a Poseidon crew from Japan. The Poseidon crew conducted a three-hour search on March 5 and returned to Guam to refuel. It reported no sightings.

The Hercules crew is also conducting searches and on March 5 deployed three marker buoys. The USCG says the buoys are providing critical GPS data to track set and drift. It is being used for search planning and providing insights into the dynamic ocean conditions.

"Searching for this vessel across the remote expanses of the Pacific tests aircrews with extreme distances and challenging conditions, but our shared commitment to this sea-connected community drives us," said Chief Warrant Officer Sara Muir, public affairs officer U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam. “The people of the Pacific Islands, seasoned mariners with remarkable resilience, inspire us to persist in these efforts, even when sightings remain elusive.”

The weather for Majuro's coastal waters is forecast as east winds of 15 to 20 knots, wind waves of 3 to 4 feet, and a northeast swell of 4 to 6 feet. The swells are expected to build going into the weekend.

The Coast Reports the crews continue to search with no results. Additional flights were planned for March 6.