The second officer of the containership Maersk Patras is missing and presumed dead after falling overboard from the ship in the Sant Lawrence River on Sunday.
According to a statement from Maersk Line, the 2nd Officer reportedly fell overboard at approximately 9:30 am local time on the Canadian side of the Saint Lawerence River north-east of the junction with the Saguenay River.
Several vessels participating in the search and rescue, including Maersk Patras, along with the support of airborne assets. The search was coordinated by the Marine Search & Rescue Centre (MRSC) of the Canadian Coast Guard, which ultimately called off the search at approximately 20:00 local time.
“It is with regret we have received the news that the search and rescue operation was unsuccessful and we must conclude that we have lost our colleague. It is a tragic situation for the family and we have offered them our full support. My deepest condolences and thoughts go to them,” says Søren Toft, COO of A.P. Moller – Maersk.
The 2nd Officer is from Sri Lanka, according to Maersk Line. Maersk said it is in contact with the relatives as well as the crew members of Maersk Patras, who will receive crisis counseling.
The circumstances surrounding the man overboard were not immediately clear. Maersk said it will cooperate fully in investigations into the incident.
Built in 1998, Maersk Patras sails under the Singapore flag and has a capacity of 2.902 TEU (twenty foot equivalent).
AIS ship tracking data shows the Maersk Patras was sailing from Antwerp, Belgium to Quebec when the incident occurred.