Coast Guard crews have suspended the search for an Australian cruise ship passenger off the coast of Hawaii following a report of a person overboard, officials said Thursday.
“After reviewing all relevant information of the case and discussing it with the next of kin, the Coast Guard has made the difficult decision to suspend the active search for the passenger aboard the Quantum of the Seas,” said Kevin Cooper, a search and rescue mission coordinator for the Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu.
The cruise ship Quantum of the Seas reported a person overboard at 11:03 p.m. Tuesday local time to the Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu, the Coast Guard said in a news release Wednesday.
“The crew of the cruise ship remained on scene to search for approximately two hours, deploying six life rings,” the release said.
On Wednesday, an air search with the Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point C-130 Hercules aircrew launched at 7 a.m. and arrived on scene at 9 a.m. local time, searching about 500 miles south of Kailua-Kona, Big Island.
After six hours the crew returned to the air station for fuel replenishment. Officials said said Thursday that the search had been suspended.
A spokesperson for Royal Caribbean confirmed that a passenger went overboard.
"The ship’s crew immediately launched a search and rescue operation and is working closely with local authorities," the spokesperson said.
The sprawling cruise ship has 16 decks and fits 4,905 guests and 1,500 crew members, according to its website.
Quantum of the Seas departed Brisbane, Australia, on April 12 and is scheduled to arrive in Honolulu on Friday.
