Search suspended for crew of Mariana cargo ship overturned in typhoon

Search suspended for Mariana crew after typhoon wreck found near Northern Marianas

The search for five missing crew members of the cargo ship Mariana has been suspended, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday, ending a multinational operation launched after the 145-foot (44-meter) vessel overturned near the Northern Mariana Islands during Super Typhoon Sinlaku. Officials said the decision was driven by the information available as crews searched by sea, air and land for signs of survivors.

Cmdr. Preston Hieb, of the U.S. Coast Guard Oceania District, said in a video posted on X that suspending the search was “an incredibly difficult one that is only made after very careful consideration of all available information.” He said the Coast Guard had also been in regular communication with the families of the missing crew members, adding that “from working and communicating with the families, I know how devastated they are by this outcome.”

Authorities previously recovered one crew member’s body from the overturned ship, and said they had identified all six crew members who were aboard. Divers recovered the body on April 21 from the Mariana, according to the Coast Guard’s account of the operation. The Coast Guard did not immediately say which individual had been found dead.

The Coast Guard identified the ship’s crew as Frederick L. Nosek Jr., Landon Delos Reyes, Jose L. Ramirez, Mohammed A. Rahaman, Chet R. Brochon and Vincent B. Agulto. Their ages and hometowns were not immediately available, and officials also said it was not immediately known which crew member had been found deceased.

Officials said the search continued for more than 100 hours and covered a region larger than California. Agencies from Guam, Japan and New Zealand assisted in locating an orange, 12-person life raft, with heavy wind initially hindering search efforts.

The overturned vessel was eventually spotted on April 18 about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northeast of Pagan, one of the islands that make up the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory. The Coast Guard said debris included a partially submerged inflatable life raft found about 110 miles (177 kilometers) from the ship, a recovery that guided additional efforts to locate the missing crew.

The Coast Guard said the crew notified it two weeks before the search suspension that the Mariana had lost its starboard engines and needed assistance as Super Typhoon Sinlaku battered the island chain. The Coast Guard lost contact with the vessel the next day, and the search began after the ship’s position and damage were reported.

In Saipan, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Chalan Kanoa posted an online message Wednesday that offered prayers for the missing crew and said it was “profound gratitude” for the Coast Guard and partners who helped search. “We offer our deepest prayers and ask for God’s comfort and strength to surround their families and friends during this incredibly difficult time,” the diocese wrote, alongside a statement of thanks that included, “Thank you for your bravery and your service to our islands.”

Community members held a shoreline vigil for the crew last week near the 13 Fishermen Memorial Monument honoring victims of a capsized vessel during a typhoon in 1986. The typhoon’s impact on the Northern Mariana Islands included wind damage and flooding, officials said.