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Updated: Wilton man reported among those on missing cargo ship

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The search for the 735-foot cargo ship El Faro began Thursday after the crew aboard alerted the Coast Guard that they had been caught in Hurricane Joaquin. The ship was en route to San Juan, Puerto Rico, from Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo provided by
The search for the 735-foot cargo ship El Faro began Thursday after the crew aboard alerted the Coast Guard that they had been caught in Hurricane Joaquin.  Four crew members from Maine, including Michael Holland of Wilton,  are believed to be on board.  (Photo provided by TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico)

Updated 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4: Tim Nolan, president of TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico which operates the missing cargo ship, said two of its vessels had reached the area where the life ring from El Faro was found last night and discovered “a container, which appears to be from the El Faro, and observed what appears to be an oil sheen.” Nolan added in a statement, “At this time there has been no sighting of the El Faro or any life boats.” The Coast Guard, contracted tugs as well as other vessels are transiting the area are also keeping a lookout for any sign of the ship.

JACKSONVILLE, Florida – The U.S. Coast Guard aircrews resumed the search Sunday morning for a missing container ship with 33 crew members aboard, among them reportedly a Wilton man, near Crooked Island, Bahamas.

The search for the 735-foot cargo ship El Faro began Thursday after the crew aboard alerted the Coast Guard that they had been caught in Hurricane Joaquin. The ship was en route to San Juan, Puerto Rico, from Jacksonville, Florida.

Among the crew members believed to be on board are four Mainers: the ship’s captain, Michael Davidson of Windham, Dylan Melkin and Danielle Randolph, both of Rockland and Michael Holland of Wilton.

At approximately 7:30 a.m. Thursday, the Coast Guard Atlantic Area command center in Portsmouth, Virginia, received a satellite notification stating the El Faro was beset by Hurricane Joaquin, had lost propulsion and had a 15-degree list.

The crew reported the ship had previously taken on water, but that all flooding had been contained. The Coast Guard’s 7th District command center in Miami launched an HC-130 aircrew out of Clearwater, Florida, to search for the El Faro, but had to suspend their efforts Friday night due to severe weather conditions. The search resumed at daybreak on Saturday for the missing container ship.

Late Saturday night, the Coast Guard crews located a life ring belonging to the missing container ship El Faro about 75 miles northeast of the ship’s last know position. A Coast Guard HC-130 search and rescue crew from Air Station Clearwater, Florida, spotted the life ring 120 nautical miles northeast of Crooked Island, Bahamas. A Coast Guard MH-60 helicopter crew recovered the life ring and confirmed it belonged to the missing ship El Faro.

Tim Nolan of TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico, the shipping company which operates El Faro, confirmed that the life ring found did belong to its missing ship Saturday night to families of crew members who had gathered at the Seafarers International Union Hall in Jacksonville, Florida.

“While this reflects that the ship was caught in rough seas and extreme weather, it is in no way indicative of the ship’s fate. In fact, it helps confirm the El Faro’s possible location and helps the USCG confirm the search areas. Small items such as life rings and life jackets are lost at sea frequently, particularly in rough weather,” Nolan said.

Among the crew’s family members heading to Florida, Deb Roberts of Jay told news media she wanted to be closer to the search and with the other families having to go through this.

The Coast Guard said its search and rescue crews have searched more than 30,000 square-miles since Thursday. Sea conditions in the search area on Saturday have been reported to be 20 to 40 feet with winds in excess to 100 knots. Visibility for search and rescue flying between 500 and 1,000 feet has been reported to be less than one nautical mile at times.

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2 Comments

  1. Praying for a quick find and a safe return of all crew members to their families and loved ones! You will be in our thoughts and prayers continuously until you are all home again!

  2. My thoughts and prayers for all the families of the ELFARO. Praying they will all be found safe

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