PORT ANGELES — Coast Guard personnel from Port Angeles, Settle and Everett were seeking a missing cruise ship passenger in the Strait of Juan de Fuca northwest of Protection Island on Monday afternoon.
A 64-year-old man traveling alone aboard ms Statendam went missing after the ship departed from a port visit in Victoria, the Coast Guard said.
Using footage from cameras on the ms Statendam cruise ship, representatives from the Holland America Line narrowed down the man’s disappearance to about 12:40 a.m. this morning, which led to the Coast Guard to search northwest of Protection Island, said Petty Officer Katelyn Shearer, spokeswoman for the Coast Guard in Seattle.
The missing man has not been identified, and representatives of Holland America Line, operators of the Statendam, said he was traveling alone on a 14-day round trip to Alaska.
The concentrated search Monday included an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station/Sector Field Office Port Angeles, along with two small boats and the Coast Guard cutter Wahoo, also from the Port Angeles station.
Also responding were three small boats from the Coast Guard station in Seattle, and Coast Guard cutter Blue Shark from Coast Guard station in Everett, Shearer said.
The Statendam left Victoria at about 11 p.m. Sunday, headed south to the Port Angeles pilot station off Ediz Hook, then headed east past Port Townsend toward Seattle.
It arrived in Seattle at about 5 a.m. Monday.
A search for the man began after he did not disembark from the ship with other passengers and was not found aboard the ship.
The Coast Guard was notified at 10:55 a.m.
“The Coast Guard is working closely with Holland America staff to locate the missing passenger,” said Petty Officer Derik Schaefer, situation unit watch stander at Sector Puget Sound.
“Mariners transiting through the area are urged to keep a sharp lookout for any signs of distress and report it to the Coast Guard.”
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
