US Coast Guard spots overturned vessel near Saipan during search for missing ship : NPR
A U.S. Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules aircraft crew assigned to Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point flies over an overturned vessel off the coast of Saipan, Saturday, April 18, 2026, as they search for a missing vessel, the Mariana, which experienced an engine failure April 15.
AP/US Coast Guard/Air Station Bar
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AP/US Coast Guard/Air Station Bar
HAGATNA, Guam — An aerial search team spotted an overturned vessel matching the description of a missing cargo ship with six people aboard near the U.S. territory of Saipan, although authorities were unable to confirm whether it was the one lost, the Coast Guard said Saturday.
The crew of the HC-130 Hercules sighted the ship early in the day about 100 nautical miles (185 kilometers) northeast of the Mariana’s last known position, the Coast Guard said. It was 34 nautical miles (63 kilometers) northeast of Pagan, a small island north of Saipan in the western Pacific Ocean.
The agency said in a statement that it confirmed that the overturned vessel matched the description of the Mariana, a 145-foot (44-meter) dry cargo ship registered in the United States.
The Mariana suffered an engine failure Wednesday when a massive typhoon slammed Saipan and neighboring islands with high winds and incessant rain. After the crew reported that the boat had lost its starboard engine and needed assistance, the Coast Guard established a one-hour communications schedule with the vessel.
But contact was lost on Thursday. An HC-130 plane took off that morning to conduct a search, but returned to Guam due to high winds.
The Mariana’s last known position was about 140 miles (225 kilometers) north-northwest of Saipan, or about 3,800 miles (6,115 kilometers) west of Hawaii.
Coast Guard officials in Honolulu were gathering information about the capsized vessel, the agency said in a statement.
The guard did not know the nationality of the missing Mariana crew members.
A US Navy Boeing P-8A Poseidon crew; a Coast Guard cutter; and a Japanese coast guard aircrew and a vessel equipped with a specialist diving team were to assist in the search.
Typhoon Sinlaku unleashed floods, ripped off roofs and overturned cars on Saipan. Officials said the scale of the storm meant the island endured about 48 hours of high winds, delaying responders’ ability to assess damage and help communities.
