Coast Guard and partners search for 6 missing mariners from the vessel Mariana off Saipan

HONOLULU — The Coast Guard and partners continue to search for six missing mariners from the cargo vessel Mariana offshore Saipan.

Update 1

On Wednesday, Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu (JRCC Honolulu) watchstanders received a report from the vessel manager of the Mariana, a 145-foot U.S.-registered dry cargo vessel, stating the vessel’s starboard engine was disabled with six people aboard approximately 140 miles north-northwest of Saipan.

Coast Guard watchstanders established a one-hour communication schedule with the Mariana via the vessel manager. There were no medical concerns at the time of the report.

Watchstanders lost communications with the vessel Wednesday evening and have not regained them. On Thursday morning, a Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point HC-130J Super Hercules airplane aircrew launched to search for the vessel but returned to Guam due to heavy winds in the search area.

Update 2

At 1:12 p.m. Friday, a Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point HC-130J Super Hercules aircrew sighted an overturned vessel matching the description of the Mariana (at 1:12 p.m.) about 34 nautical miles northeast of Pagan, approximately 100 nautical miles northeast of the last known position of the cargo vessel Mariana. 

JRCC Honolulu watchstanders confirmed that an overturned vessel sighted by a Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point HC-130J Super Hercules airplane aircrew during a first-light search Saturday (ChST) matches the description of the cargo vessel Mariana, Saturday.

U.S. Coast Guard aircrews, a U.S. Navy Boeing P-8A Poseidon aircrew, and a Japan Coast Guard aircrew are slated to fly in support of continued search efforts. The crew of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Frederick Hatch (WPC 1143) and the crew of a Japan Coast Guard vessel equipped with a specialized dive team also join in the search.  

Update 3

At about 7:30 p.m. Saturday, a Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point HC-130J aircrew sighted debris, including a partially submerged, partially inflated life raft, approximately 95 nautical miles northeast of the overturned vessel. At the time of this sighting, the overturned vessel had drifted 26 nautical miles northeast from where it was first located approximately 34 nautical miles northeast of Pagan.

Search and rescue (SAR) aircrews have not located the six crew members.

At about 6:40 p.m. Sunday, an HC-130J Combat King II aircrew with the U.S. Air Force 31st Rescue Squadron arrived on scene with the overturned vessel and deployed pararescuemen, divers and boats. The team confirmed the identity of the vessel as the cargo ship Mariana.

The divers are conducting a comprehensive subsurface evaluation of the Mariana’s exterior. If divers locate a viable access point, the team may employ an underwater remotely operated drone to further investigate the vessel.

Coast Guard aircrews continue to search for the six mariners (crewmen) from the vessel Mariana in the vicinity of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. So far, Coast Guard crews and partners involved in the search have covered over 75,000 square nautical miles.

Involved in the search: 

• Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu 

• USCGC Frederick Hatch (WPC 1143), Coast Guard Forces Micronesia / Sector Guam, Apra Harbor, Guam 

• U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point aircrews, Kapolei, Hawaii  

• U.S. Air Force 31st Rescue Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan 

• U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon airplane aircrew, Patrol Squadron 26 (VP-26), Commander, Task Force 72 (CTF-72) 

• Japan Coast Guard Gulfstream V jet 

• Japan Coast Guard patrol vessel Akitsushima (PLH-32), Yokohama, Japan 

• Royal New Zealand Air Force P-8A Poseidon airplane aircrew, RNZAF Base Ohakea, New Zealand 

Anyone with information that may assist in search efforts should contact the Coast Guard on VHF-FM channel 16 or call the Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu at 1-800-331-6176. 

–USCG– 

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