A salvage tug is carrying out a search and recovery mission for the five missing crewmembers of the Sincerity Ace, which caught fire northwest of Oahu on the high seas, on December 31.
The master of the Sincerity Ace reported a significant vessel fire, ongoing firefighting efforts, and an intent to abandon ship. The crew was able to launch one of the life rafts, and four of the 21 mariners abandoned ship with lifejackets. It is not known if they reached the life raft upon entering the water. The remaining 17 crew were reportedly fighting the fire.
Giving an update on the incident, USCG said that good Samaritans aboard four merchant vessels rescued 16 of the 21 crew. Four of the five missing mariners reportedly were located but remained in the water as they are unresponsive and unable to grab onto life saving equipment to be brought aboard.
However, Chief Petty Officer Dennis Vetrano, with Coast Guard Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu, addressed that the results concluding from the search weren’t fruitful that’s why the search is suspended.
The tug will now perform its own search for the missing before taking the Sincerity Ace in tow and bringing the ship to a port of refuge. Merchant vessels sailing in the area have also been asked to search for bodies in the water.
