U.S. Coast Guard Suspends Search for Saipan Crew

The Coast Guard suspended its search for the missing crew members of the cargo vessel Mariana at 10:35 p.m. Tuesday.  

Missing are five crew members of the cargo vessel Mariana, which reportedly experienced a disabled engine approximately 140 miles northwest of Saipan on April 15.

The six crew members aboard the Mariana at the time of the incident were Frederick L. Nosek Jr., Landon Delos Reyes, Jose L. Ramirez, Mohammed A. Rahaman, Chet R. Brochon, and Vincent B. Agulto.  

U.S. Air Force 31st Rescue Squadron divers have recovered one deceased individual from the overturned vessel. The divers conducted a comprehensive subsurface evaluation of the Mariana's exterior and used an underwater remotely operated drone to search the interior of the vessel.  

In total, Coast Guard crews and involved partners searched for more than 100 hours, covering over 135,000 square nautical miles, an area larger than the size of California.  

“We are deeply saddened to announce that despite widespread efforts, we have made the difficult decision to suspend our active search for the missing crew members,” said Cmdr. Preston Hieb, search and rescue mission coordinator, Coast Guard Oceania District. “We offer our deepest condolences to the families of the Mariana crew, as well as the entire Saipan community affected by this tragedy. We are grateful for the efforts of our international and U.S. military partners during the search, as well as the resilience and support demonstrated by the CNMI community.”

Search efforts began after Coast Guard Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu watchstanders lost communications with the Mariana on April 15.

Watchstanders coordinated the launch of HC-130 Hercules airplane crews from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point and the crews of fast response cutters USCGC Frederick Hatch (WPC 1143) and USCGC Oliver Henry (WPC 1140) to search for the missing vessel and crew members.

Involved in the search:    

• Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu    
• USCGC Frederick Hatch (WPC 1143), Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam, Apra Harbor, Guam
• USCGC Oliver Henry (WPC 1140), Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam, Apra Harbor, Guam
• U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point, Kapolei, Hawaii
• U.S. Air Force 31st Rescue Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan
• U.S. Air Force 36th Airlift Squadron, Yokota Air Base, Tokyo
• U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon airplane crew, 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 crew, RNZAF Base Ohakea, New Zealand.    

The U.S. Coast Guard is leading the investigation into the incident with assistance from the National Transportation Safety Board.