Coast Guard searches for 6 missing near Guam following typhoon

The U.S. Coast Guard was searching for six people aboard a disabled cargo vessel off Guam on April 17 after losing contact with the ship the previous day following Typhoon Sinlaku. The crew of the 145-foot dry cargo vessel Mariana had notified the Coast Guard on April 15 that it had lost its starboard engine and needed assistance. The last known position of the vessel was approximately 140 miles north-northwest of Saipan, according to the Coast Guard.

The search unfolded as Super Typhoon Sinlaku continued battering the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam, damaging communities and prompting a federal emergency response across a region that includes several major American military bases. Federal agencies including the Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, and Health and Human Services were ramping up operations as the storm moved northeast.

Search Underway for Disabled Vessel

A Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules aircraft was deployed to search for the vessel but returned to Guam early on April 17 because of heavy winds. Search efforts were expected to resume at first light, according to Petty Officer 3rd Class Avery Tibbets of the Coast Guard. The nationalities of the six crew members were not known.

The Mariana had established a one-hour communication schedule with the Coast Guard after reporting engine trouble on April 15. The ship’s starboard engine had failed, leaving the 145-foot dry cargo vessel with reduced propulsion off the coast of Guam. The vessel lost all contact the following afternoon, breaking the established communication protocol that had kept rescuers apprised of its condition and position.

Typhoon’s Broader Impact

The search was part of a larger emergency unfolding across the U.S. Pacific territories. Super Typhoon Sinlaku had been battering the Northern Mariana Islands earlier in the week with typhoon-force winds extending 275 miles from the storm’s center. Island residents were subjected to roughly 48 hours of fierce winds that delayed emergency responders’ ability to assess and respond to damage across the territory.

The typhoon caused significant damage on Tinian and Saipan and triggered flash flooding in Guam, which hosts several major American military bases. Dangerous swells reaching as high as 20 feet were expected to continue in coastal waters through late Saturday afternoon, according to a hazardous seas warning issued by the Homeland Security and Emergency Management office for the Northern Mariana Islands.

Federal Response Mobilizing

Robert Fenton, FEMA regional administrator for Region 9, which covers Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, said federal agencies were ramping up response operations. The Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, Health and Human Services, and other federal agencies were on the ground supporting local governments.

“This is a very complex event, but we have a lot of experience and have worked very closely with Guam and CNMI over the years to prepare for these types of events and are well-positioned to do that again here today,” Fenton told The Associated Press in an interview from Guam.

The scope of damage assessment was still ongoing, but significant impacts to power and water systems were already evident, especially in the Northern Marianas. “We think this will be a multimonth mission of emergency power,” Fenton said.

The prolonged exposure to fierce winds proved unexpectedly difficult for residents and rescue operations. “The geographic extent of the typhoon’s winds created conditions that were more physically and mentally impactful,” Fenton said, which slowed initial damage assessment.

Maritime Operations Resume Cautiously

The U.S. Coast Guard reopened the Port of Guam on April 17 to modified, daytime operations as conditions began to stabilize. The service was “working diligently” to open the remaining ports in the area, calling maritime commerce restoration one of their “highest priorities.” Capt. Jessica Worst, commander of Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam, said conditions “remain challenging” as the service worked to restore maritime commerce and support affected communities.

U.S. Air Force helicopters were being deployed to assess needs on smaller, more remote islands in the Northern Marianas as federal agencies broadened their response across the territory.