Coast Guard suspends search for missing Australian cruise ship passenger off Hawai‘i
Today the Coast Guard suspended the active search for the missing cruise ship passenger from Australia, 500 miles south of Kailua Kona on the Big Island.
“After reviewing all relevant information of the case and discussing with our Australian consulate counterparts as well as with the next of kin, the Coast Guard has made the difficult decision to suspend the active search for the passenger aboard the Quantum of the Seas,” said Kevin Cooper, a search and rescue mission coordinator for the Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu.
Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu watchstanders received a report from the cruise ship Quantum of the Seas of a man overboard at 11:03 p.m. Tuesday evening. The crew of the cruise ship remained on scene to search for approximately two hours before resuming course for the Big Island.
A Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point C-130 Hercules aircrew launched at 7:00 a.m. Wednesday and arrived on scene at approximately 9:00 a.m. to begin searching. The aircrew completed five searches over the course of six hours while on scene.