Canadian Coast Guard Abandons Search for Missing Crew Member

The Canadian Coast Guard has halted its search for a crew member who went missing from the CCGS Vincent Massey, one of its newest icebreakers. The crew member was reported missing upon the vessel’s return to base in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. The Coast Guard expressed its condolences to the family of the missing individual and its own crew and employees. The search efforts involved deploying aircraft and vessels, as well as requesting assistance from other vessels in the area.

The missing crew member was last seen on Sunday evening aboard the Vincent Massey while it was operating off Newfoundland’s east coast. Despite extensive search and rescue operations conducted both at sea and in the air, the individual could not be located. The Vincent Massey, a medium icebreaker commissioned into the fleet in September 2023, is 275 feet in length and has a normal complement of 19 crew members. The vessel was refurbished and handed over to the Coast Guard by Davie Shipbuilding as part of a program to acquire and upgrade existing vessels.

The circumstances surrounding the incident have not been disclosed, and the case has been turned over to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for investigation. The Coast Guard expressed deep sorrow at the loss of one of its employees at sea and thanked all involved in the search and rescue efforts. The search took place near Pouch Cove, at the northernmost tip of Newfoundland, and involved a coordinated effort from multiple agencies and vessels in the area.

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