HAGATNA, Guam — A U.S. Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules crew early Saturday reported sighting an overturned vessel that matched the description of the Mariana, a 145-foot (44-meter) U.S.-registered dry cargo ship that went missing with six people aboard near Saipan. The crew saw the capsized craft about 100 nautical miles (185 kilometers) northeast of the Mariana’s last known position and roughly 34 nautical miles (63 kilometers) northeast of Pagan, a small island north of Saipan. Authorities said the sighting matched the ship’s description but the vessel’s identity had not yet been confirmed.
The Mariana had reported engine trouble Wednesday as Typhoon Sinlaku approached the islands, saying it had lost its starboard engine and needed assistance. The Coast Guard had established an hourly communications check with the vessel, but contact was lost on Thursday. An HC-130 that launched Thursday morning was forced to return to Guam because of heavy winds from the storm.
The ship’s last known position had been about 140 miles (225 kilometers) north-northwest of Saipan. Coast Guard officials in Honolulu are collecting information about the overturned vessel, and the nationalities of the six missing crew members have not been released.
Search and response assets involved include a U.S. Navy Boeing P-8A Poseidon crew, a Coast Guard cutter, and Japanese coast guard air and surface units carrying a specialized dive team. Typhoon Sinlaku battered the Northern Mariana Islands, causing floods, tearing off roofs and overturning cars. The storm’s size exposed islands such as Saipan to roughly 48 hours of intense winds, hampering immediate damage assessments and response operations.