Coast Guard ends search for tanker crew member

Man reported overboard 400 miles off coast of Cape Hatteras

The U.S. Coast Guard launched an HC-130 Hercules aircraft to help search for a tanker crew member. (Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

The U.S. Coast Guard has ended its search for a missing tanker crewman who was reported overboard off the coast of North Carolina.

The Coast Guard said Friday evening that aircrews aboard HC-130 Hercules aircraft had flown 22 sorties for a combined period of 45 hours over a search area of about 4,000 square miles. 

The Coast Guard’s Fifth District command center received a report Wednesday afternoon that a man had gone overboard from the Hellas Gladiator 400 miles east of Cape Hatteras.

An Air Station Elizabeth City HC-130 Hercules aircraft was launched to search for the missing crew member. Two good Samaritan vessels notified via automated mutual-assistance vessel rescue messages (AMVER) also took part in the search. 

“We would like to extend our condolences to the family of this individual and thank the vessel Hellas Gladiator and our maritime partners enrolled in the AMVER program for providing a continuous search effort throughout this case,” said Lt. j.g. Victoria Moon, operations unit controller at the Coast Guard’s Fifth District command center.

The name of the crew member has not been released.

The Hellas Gladiator, a liquefied petroleum gas tanker, reportedly is operated by Latsco Shipping. Built in 2016, the tanker sails under the flag of Malta. 

Latsco Shipping has not responded to a request for more information.

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Click for more FreightWaves/American Shipper articles by Kim Link-Wills.

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Kim Link Wills

Senior Editor Kim Link-Wills has written about everything from agriculture as a reporter for Illinois Agri-News to zoology as editor of the Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine. Her work has garnered awards from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Magazine Association of the Southeast. Prior to serving as managing editor of American Shipper, Kim spent more than four years with XPO Logistics.