The Canadian Coast Guard has called off the search for a crew member who is believed to have fallen overboard from one of its icebreaker vessels off the northeast coast of Newfoundland.
The individual, part of the CCGS Vincent Massey crew, was last seen on board Sunday evening and was reported missing Monday morning at 8:15 a.m., when the ship arrived in St. John’s.
As explained, an extensive search effort, involving Canadian Coast Guard ships, aircraft, and other federal vessels, was launched but ultimately unsuccessful. The search was officially called off on Tuesday afternoon.
In a social media statement on Wednesday, the Coast Guard expressed their grief, confirming that one of their employees had been lost at sea.
The Coast Guard extended their condolences to the missing crew member’s family, the crew of the CCGS Vincent Massey, and all their employees, noting that “this is a time of mourning.”
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have now launched an investigation into the incident.
The CCGS Vincent Massey is a 275-foot icebreaking anchor-handling tug supply vessel (AHTS), originally built in Norway in 2000. After being purchased by Canada in 2018, the ship was converted into a medium-class icebreaker at Davie Shipbuilding and officially commissioned for Canadian Coast Guard service in September 2023.
