The search for a missing 37-foot fiberglass emergency sea ambulance in the vicinity of the Marshall Islands has been suspended by the U.S. Coast Guard after a nearly week-long search without finding any sign of the missing vessel.
According to local authorities, the ship departed from Majuro heading towards Mili Atoll, a 67-mile trip, where the crew was scheduled to provide TB screening for the local population. When the ship went missing, authorities were not able to identify any distress signal from the crew, despite the ship being outfitted with the communications and navigation equipment to send one in an emergency.
The four-person crew, including the captain, a nurse practitioner, a health assistant, and a community health outreach worker have been missing since March 3rd.
Over 16 searches were conducted by the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands searching 52,931 square nautical miles without finding any sign of the ship or its crew.
“We stand with the families and the Republic of the Marshall Islands community in their grief,” said Chief Warrant Officer Sara Muir who is the public affairs officer of U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia. “Our Navy and Marshallese partners poured extraordinary skill and resolve into this search across a vast Pacific expanse. Suspending active efforts doesn’t diminish our respect for these mariners’ lives or the hope that answers may still come.”
While the search has been suspended, the Coast Guard urges anyone with further information about the missing ship to contact their JRCC Honolulu watch toll-free at 1-800-331-6176.