SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Coast Guard rescue crews are searching, Wednesday, for an MSC Seascape cruise ship crewmember believed to have fallen overboard in the Atlantic Ocean north of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.
Still missing is a 30-year-old man of Indian nationality who was reportedly observed going overboard, approximately 80-feet from the bow of the cruise ship from a height of approximately 32-feet above the water. The crewmember was reportedly wearing a white shirt and red shorts.
Coast Guard watchstanders received initial notification of the incident from the cruise ship at approximately 8:57 p.m. Tuesday, as the cruise ship was enroute from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. The cruise ship reported throwing a lifeline and three life rings with the cruise ship’s name on them and launched the cruise ship rescue boat to search. Watchstanders coordinated the launch of a Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter diverted the Coast Guard Cutters Joseph Napier and Joseph Doyle to the scene.
Once on scene, the Coast Guard aircrew commenced searching and deployed a self-locating datum marker buoy that measures sea currents to assist with the search. Shortly thereafter the Coast Guard cutters arrived on-scene. At approximately 7:30 a.m. the Coast Guard aircrew reported locating the three life-rings within the search area.
The MSC Seascape cruise ship continued its voyage to Dominican Republic after being released from the search.