PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WBOC/AP)- The U.S. Coast Guard says it has suspended its search for a missing man near Cape Charles, Va.
The Coast Guard says its command center in the Virginian coastal city of Portsmouth received notice early Tuesday that a Chinese crewman had fallen from a 770-foot Lara Venture cargo ship at the Cape Charles Anchorage.
Officials say he had been fastening a ladder on the Hong Kong-registered cargo vessel's right side when he fell overboard. The 33-year-old man wasn't wearing a life jacket. He was last seen wearing orange coveralls and a dark blue jacket.
Crews had been searching for the missing sailor with a helicopter, a cutter and a pilot vessel for about 12 hours, covering about 112 square miles.
"Suspending a search is one of the most difficult choices we have to make in the Coast Guard, and several factors - water temperature, weather conditions, and length of time the person has been missing - inform the decision," said Coast Guard Capt. Rick Wester, commander, Sector Hampton Roads. "We extend our thoughts and prayers to the sailor's family and fellow crewmen."
