The United States Coast Guard has suspended the search for a missing crew member of Hong Kong-flagged bulker Lara Venture.
The missing 33-year-old crewman was last seen when he reportedly fell overboard at about 2:10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 13, near Cape Charles, Virginia.
The man was fastening a ladder on the anchored vessel’s starboard quarter when he fell overboard, according to the coast guard report. The seafarer was last seen wearing orange coveralls and a dark blue jacket. He was not wearing a life jacket.
A Coast Guard aircrew from Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and the crews of Coast Guard Cutter Sea Horse and Station Cape Charles searched for the mariner for approximately 12 hours. The search area covered about 112 square miles, the coast guard informed.
Also assisting in the search was the navy helicopter squadron HSC2 from Chambers Field on Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, and a Virginia Pilot Association boat crew.
“Suspending a search is one of the most difficult choices we have to make in the Coast Guard, and several factors – water temperature, weather conditions, and length of time the person has been missing – inform the decision,” said Coast Guard Capt. Rick Wester, commander, Sector Hampton Roads .
The 2011-built Post Panamax is owned by Wah Kwong Shipping, according to VesselsValue.