The following is the text of a press release issued by the U.S. Coast Guard:
(PORTSMOUTH, VA.) — The Coast Guard is assisting in the search for a missing person who fell overboard from a 738-foot motor vessel approximately 430 nautical miles southeast of Newfoundland, Thursday.
At approximately 7:00 a.m. Coast Guard Rescue Coordination Center Norfolk, Va., received notification from RCC Halifax and Newfoundland, Canada that a crewmember of the motor vessel Elba Max had fallen into the water.
The person is a 40-year-old Polish male that is wearing grey overalls with a personal floatation device underneath.
The man was handling lines on the aft deck when a large swell caused him to fall.
The crew of the Elba Max attempted to throw a floatation device to the man but attempts were unsuccessful.
Another vessel in the vicinity, the British Esteem, assisted in the search by following search patterns that RCC Norfolk passed to the crew of the Elba Max.
A U.S. Coast Guard C-130 Hercules crew involved with ice patrol missions launched out of Newfoundland and arrived on scene at approximately 11:15 a.m.
The C-130 crew deployed a Self Locating Datum Marker Buoy, which helps search crews determine the most likely position of the man by taking currents into consideration.
The crew of the British Esteem suspended their search at 4:20 p.m., due to lack of daylight and the current weather conditions.
A second C-130 crew launched from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C. and arrived on scene to relieve the first crew at approximately 7:00 p.m., and has been searching for approximately three hours.
The crew of the Elba Max continuing the search patterns provided by RCC Norfolk.
