Search Suspended for Man Overboard near Cedar Bayou

The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search Tuesday for a man who went missing after his shrimp boat overturned Monday near Cedar Bayou on the Houston Ship Channel.

The Coast Guard, Chambers County Sheriff’s office, Port of Houston Fire Department, and Harris County Dive Team searched for nearly 17 hours and covered more than 38 square miles with no sign of the missing man.

“We conducted 13 sorties and searched more than 17 hours for the missing man, saturating the area with both aircraft and boats," said Zack Edwards, the command duty officer at Sector Houston-Galveston. "Unfortunately, we did not locate him and have suspended the search. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family."

The Coast Guard began searching for the man at 3:45 p.m., Monday, when watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston received a report from Harris County, stating that a vessel had capsized, sending four people into the water.

A Port of Houston Fireboat boatcrew recovered two people, a 13-year-old boy and a 53-year-old man, who were on top of the 41-foot fishing vessel, Mr. Anthony, and later utilized the Jaw's of life to free a 20-year-old woman who was trapped underneath the vessel. The three individuals were taken by Baytown EMS to a local hospital and are reported in stable condition.

The Cedar Bayou Channel remains closed for salvage efforts. Casualty and pollution investigations will commence simultaneously with salvage efforts.