A frantic search for a missing crewman from an MSC containership is underway in the US Gulf.
The US Coast Guard (USCG) says they began searching for the 37-year-old Filipino off Mobile, Alabama early this morning after receiving a call from the Mobile Pilots.
Watchstanders from Coast Guard Station Dauphin Island were told the man was last seen on the 5,919-teu MSC Tokyo (built 2005) wearing blue coveralls with white pinstripes and a life jacket.
“It was reported the missing crewmember was responsible for recovering the Jacob’s ladder after the pilot arrived,” the USCG wrote in a statement Monday.
“The ladder was later observed down with a shoe on deck indicating the possibility of the crewmember falling overboard.”
A helicopter, airplane and several response boats have been deployed to aid in the search, which began around 3:00 am local time.
USCG spokesman Timothy Williams says aerial surveillance recently “caught a glimpse” of an orange object in the search area, and believe this may be the crewman.
He also told TradeWinds that calm weather conditions with two-foot seas have made the search easier so authorities are confident the efforts may bear fruit.
Williams noted that the duration of rescue operations are determined on a case-by-case basis and take a variety of factors into account including water temperature and the physical health of the victim.
The MSC Tokyo is controlled by diversified German operator Reederei Claus-Peter Offen, according to data from Equasis and Clarksons.
