SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Coast Guard search and rescue crews are searching for a missing passenger from the Holland America Line cruise ship Eurodam, who reportedly disappeared early Thursday morning while the vessel was transiting from St. Thomas to the Bahamas, approximately 80 nautical miles northwest of Puerto Rico.
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector San Juan received notification from the cruise line at 5 a.m. Thursday notifying that a 42-year-old man and Wash. resident had possibly gone overboard. The cruise line reported the wife of the missing passenger alerted the crew of the Eurodam of her husband’s disappearance.
The Coast Guard received notification from the Eurodam after an initial preliminary search of the ship located a baseball cap on the ship’s deck that was confirmed by the wife of the missing passenger as belonging to him.
Upon receiving notification, Sector San Juan watchstanders directed the launch of a Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew and diverted the Coast Guard Cutters Nantucket and Decisive to search for the missing passenger.
The Nantucket is a 110-foot patrol boat currently homeported in San Juan, Puerto Rico, while the Decisive is a 210-foot Medium Endurance Cutter homeported in Pascagoula, Miss.
Anyone with more information on the missing person are asked to contact Coast Guard Sector San Juan Command Center search and rescue coordinators at 787-289-2041.
