U.S. Navy aircraft joins search for missing crewman 1,200 miles off Big Island

The U.S. Coast Guard and partner agencies are searching for a missing fishing vessel crewman more than 1,200 miles offshore Hawai’i, coast guard officials reported on Monday evening.

The missing 59-year-old man was reported overboard from the Republic of Korea-flagged vessel Oryong 355 on Sunday afternoon, according to the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Honolulu.

The man is being described as about 5 feet 7 inches tall and was last seen wearing light-colored pants and a dark short-sleeved shirt.

Watchstanders said they received notification at about 5 p.m. Sunday from the Korea Mission Coordination Center after the man reportedly fell into the ocean around 12:15 p.m. Sunday, roughly 1,200 miles southeast of the Big Island.

Rescue crews issued an urgent maritime broadcast to vessels in the area and launched a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon aircraft from Marine Corps Base Hawaiʻi to assist in the search.

The aircraft is conducting aerial sweeps over the remote section of the ocean.

A Singapore-flagged cargo ship, the Maersk Yellowstone, also altered its course to help search for the missing crewman.

Coast Guard officials said the search remains ongoing.

Anyone with information that may help  in search efforts should contact the Coast Guard on VHF-FM channel 16 or call the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Honolulu at 1-800-331-6176.