Ship captain missing off Guam

Ship captain missing off Guam
Gaynor D. Daleno | 13 Feb 2020 https://www.postguam.com/news/local/ship-captain-missing-off-guam/articl...

The U.S. Coast Guard and an Air Force aircraft crew are searching for the captain of a Japan-based bulk carrier ship who went overboard off Guam.

The U.S. Coast Guard is actively searching for a man overboard from a commercial vessel 250 miles southeast of Guam, confirmed Ens. Edward Oingerang, public affairs officer for Coast Guard Sector Guam.

The missing mariner was reported on Wednesday to the Coast Guard’s Rescue Coordination Sub-Center Guam.

A Coast Guard C-130 aircraft, an Air Force C-130 and the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Sequoia were immediately deployed to join the search with the reporting vessel, Oingerang confirmed.

The Coast Guard declined to identify the vessel out of respect for the family and vessel crew members.

The Maritime Executive reported that the missing mariner is the captain of the Japanese-operated bulk cargo ship Rising Wind.

The Rising Wind is registered in Panama and owned by Tokyo-based NS United Marine.

The bulk cargo ship displaces more than 43,000 tons, shipping industry websites state. It was last reported to have left Japan before it spent days in the Western Pacific.

The 47-year-old ship captain was discovered missing about 174 miles northwest of Chuuk, the Maritime Executive reported. The ship's crew alerted authorities and turned around to try to find him.

Four additional commercial vessels volunteered and are assisting with the search, Oingerang stated.

The missing mariner’s nationality has not been released.