The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Myrtle Hazard patrols the Philippine Sea near Guam, March 25, 2025. (Jackson Collins/U.S. Coast Guard)
The search for two missing mariners near the Northern Mariana Islands entered its second day Wednesday, with efforts focused west of Saipan, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
The two men departed Alamagan Island on Monday aboard the Lucky Harvest, a 47-foot supply vessel, en route to Saipan, according to a Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam news release issued Wednesday.
The vessel was expected to arrive between 4:30 p.m. Monday and midnight but failed to make port. That prompted boating safety officials in Saipan to notify the Coast Guard, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Sara Muir, a spokeswoman for Sector Guam, said by email Wednesday.
Muir described the Lucky Harvest as well-equipped, with a VHF radio, orange life jackets, flares, an emergency beacon, fuel and provisions. While the mariners were identified as men, no other personal information was available as of Wednesday, she said.
Guam’s Joint Rescue Sub-Center attempted to contact the men by cellphone and radio, but the calls went to voicemail, according to the news release.
“They are not responding to hails on the radio from the U.S. Coast Guard or the Saipan emergency operations center,” Muir wrote in her email. “However, we understand they are well supplied, including an emergency beacon, and we have not received any mayday calls or a beacon alert.”
The search involves the Coast Guard cutter Myrtle Hazard; a boat crew from the Saipan Department of Public Safety; crews from the Navy’s Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25; and a sister vessel to the Lucky Harvest, the news release said.
The Lucky Harvest’s last known position was approximately 38 miles northwest of Rota, the Coast Guard said. Wednesday’s search efforts were focused west of Saipan.
“Given the intermittent communications, we’re exercising caution and searching in an effort to verify the crew’s safety,” Cmdr. Patton Epperson, the search and rescue mission coordinator, said in the news release.
Weather conditions in the region Wednesday included east winds of 17 to 23 mph and seas of 5 to 6 feet, Muir said.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Joint Rescue Sub-Center watchstanders at 671-355-4826.
The Lucky Harvest is at least the third case in the past month to prompt a major search-and-rescue operation in the area.
On April 19, officials called off a weeklong search for 58-year-old Jeffrey Hattori, who went missing April 12 after departing Guam for a recreational fishing trip.
On April 23, the Navy called off the search for Petty Officer 2nd Class Gabriel D. Holt, of Washington, Utah, who was reported missing April 19. Holt was assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, which was in Guam on a port call at the time.
The Micronesia region, which includes the Northern Marianas, Guam and other nearby islands, is “dynamic and presents unique challenges due to the vast expanse of water covered, variable weather, and remoteness,” Muir said.
She urged mariners to ensure their vessels are properly equipped, to file communication plans before setting out, monitor weather conditions, and understand emergency protocols such as how to active distress signals.
