HAGATNA – Recently, there has been a tragic event involving a cargo ship named the Mariana that capsized near the Northern Mariana Islands during a powerful storm known as Super Typhoon Sinlaku. Officials have confirmed that the body of one of the six missing crew members was found, providing some closure in an otherwise devastating situation.
The U.S. Coast Guard reported that divers from the U.S. Air Force utilized an underwater drone to search the wreckage of the ship. They discovered the body of the crew member on Tuesday. Following this, additional divers from the Japan Coast Guard conducted further inspections of the vessel but did not locate any more crew members.
Currently, the Coast Guard is actively searching for the remaining five missing crew members, along with an orange 12-person life raft that was reported lost. Their search area encompasses over 99,000 square miles (256,000 square kilometers) around the Northern Mariana Islands, involving cooperation with agencies from Guam, Japan, and New Zealand.
The Mariana crew reached out to the U.S. Coast Guard on April 15, indicating that they had lost the ship’s starboard engine and were in need of assistance. Unfortunately, contact with the ship was lost the following day, leading to the search efforts that are currently underway.
Cmdr. Preston Hieb, who coordinates the Coast Guard’s search and rescue missions, expressed sympathy for the families of the crew and emphasized the commitment of the Coast Guard and their partners to continue the search using all available resources. “Our hearts are with the families of the Mariana crew members and the communities impacted by this tragic incident,” Hieb stated.
Initial search efforts faced challenges due to severe winds caused by the typhoon, but the overturned ship was eventually located approximately 40 miles (64 kilometers) northeast of Pagan, one of the islands in the Northern Mariana archipelago, which is under U.S. jurisdiction.
On Monday, the Coast Guard also reported that debris, including a partially submerged inflatable life raft, was found about 110 miles (177 kilometers) from the ship.
Super Typhoon Sinlaku has caused significant disruption in the Northern Mariana Islands, resulting in wind damage and flooding. As the search continues, the efforts highlight the importance of safety at sea and the challenges faced by maritime crews during severe weather events.
