USCG Suspends Search for Overdue Boat near Majuro
The Coast Guard suspended the search Saturday for an overdue 83-foot commercial fishing vessel near the Republic of Marshall Islands. Fishing vessel Clear Water 02 reportedly went missing with nine people aboard while en route Majuro for offload, March 12. "Suspending a search is never an easy decision and is only done after intense scrutiny and evaluation of our search efforts as a whole," said Lt. Justin Gear, JRCC Honolulu command duty officer. A Coast Guard aircraft searched 49,837 square miles totaling 44 search hours. Ten good Samaritan vessels also assisted in search efforts. A Navy P-3 Orion airplane from U.S. Navy 7th Fleet searched Thursday and Friday covering an additional 8,747 square miles.
Search Called off for Overboard Cruise Crewmember
The Coast Guard suspended the search Wednesday for a 34-year old male Filipino crewmember reported overboard from the cruise ship Grand Princess approximately 1,133 miles northeast of Hilo. Two Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules airplane crews from Air Station Barbers Point conducted searches of the area and dropped two Self-Locating Datum Marker Buoys. The SLDMB is used in search and rescue missions and is equipped with a GPS sensor. Upon deployment in the water, it transmits its location periodically to the Coast Guard to assist with developing search areas. As part of the AMVER program, the container ship Horizon Reliance along with the Grand Princess's sister ship Star Princess assisted in search efforts. More than 4,900 square miles were searched.
