LAKE WORTH BEACH, Florida – Coast Guard officials said Wednesday they were looking for a missing ship with about 20 people on board heading from the Bahamas to Lake Worth Beach.
Officials said they received a report Tuesday that the boat, a 29-foot blue and white cabin, the last Mako Cuddy Cabin, was known to leave Bimini on Monday, but did not arrive as expected.
The ship and people were reportedly on their way to Lake Worth Beach, according to the Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard said it was alerted Wednesday by the Royal Bahamas Defense Force for help locating the boat.
“They didn’t have the name of the ship, they said about 20 people were on board, they didn’t specifically have their nationality or any name to continue with,” Jose Hernandez told the U.S. Coast Guard.
Hernandez said that since 5 in the morning, the Coast Guard went out to the Atlantic to help with the search.
“In this case, we don’t really have the location, except for the final destination, so we’re just looking for the Gulf of Bahamas between the Bahamas and South Florida,” he said.
Hernandez said a search required a lot of work.
“They take into account the size of the ship, the amount of gasoline, the engine it has. Then you have other people plotting the real currents, the real weather involved,” he said.
Below are the agencies and crews searching for the missing boat:
- Clearwater C-130 Coast Guard Air Station Hercules aircrew
- Coast Guard Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry Air Crew
- Coast Guard Crew Margaret Norvel
- Surface units of the Royal Bahamas Defense Force
- Air assets of the Bahamas Air Rescue Association
The Coast Guard said there is no timetable for how long they will continue to search for the boat.
Anyone who can help with the search is urged to contact the Seventh Coast Guard District Command Center at 305-415-6800.