Wakabamaru-No.7

The Coast Guard was searching for a male crewmember reported overboard from the "Akaba Maru No. 7" approximately 170 miles southwest of Chuuk Island on Sep 3, 2014. Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Guam Command Center received notification from the Yokohama Rescue Coordination Center about 8 a.m. on Sep 2 of a 34-year-old male who was reported overboard from the Japanese fishing vessel. The crewmember, a citizen of the Federated States of Micronesia, was last seen at midnight. An HC-130 Hercules airplane crew launched from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point for a 3,625 mile flight to the search area. They were expected to arrive on scene at 4:30 p.m. on Sep 3. Currently searching were the "Wakaba Maru 7", a support helicopter, two sister fishing vessels and a U.S. Navy P-3 Orion aircraft from the Air Base Kadena. The Coast Guard Sector Guam was coordinating the search and providing search patterns for responding vessels and aircraft. Weather conditions on scene were winds of 10 mph and seas of 5 feet.