Crewmember Goes Missing From Canadian Coast Guard Vessel

The Canadian Coast Guard has called off a search for a crewmember believed to have gone overboard from one of its icebreaker vessels off Newfoundland's northeast coast. 

The CCGS Vincent Massey crewmember, who was reportedly last seen aboard the ship on Sunday evening, was reported missing at 8:15 a.m. on Monday when the vessel arrived in St. John's.

An "extensive" search involving Canadian Coast Guard vessels, aircraft and vessels from other federal sources was launched but proved unsuccessful. The decision to end the search was made Tuesday afternoon

"We are devastated to confirm that one of our own employees has been lost at sea. Crews conducted an extensive search and rescue operation at sea and in the air, which ended last night," the Coast Guard said in a social media post on Wednesday.

"Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of the missing crew member, the crew of the CCGS Vincent Massey and all our employees," the agency added. "This is a time of mourning."

The incident is now being investigated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

CCGS Vincent Massey is a 275-foot (LOA) icebreaking anchor handling tug supply vessel (AHTS) converted to a medium class icebreaker for the Canadian Coast Guard. Originally built in Norway in 2000, the vessel was sold to Canada in 2018 and dedicated to service for the Canadian Coast Guard in September 2023 following a conversion at Davie Shipbuilding.