LAKE WORTH BEACH, Florida – Coast Guard officials said on Wednesday that they are looking for a delayed ship with about 20 people on board departing the Bahamas for Lake Worth beach.
Officials said they received a report on Tuesday that the boat, a blue and white 29-foot Mako Cuddy Cabin, was leaving Bimini on Monday, but did not arrive as expected.
The ship and people were on their way to Lake Worth Beach, according to the Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard said it was alerted on Wednesday by the Bahamas Royal Defense Force asking for help locating the boat.
“They did not have the name of the ship, said about 20 people on board, they did not specifically have their nationality or any name,” said Jose Hernandez of the US Coast Guard.
Hernandez said that since 5 am the Coast Guard is in the Atlantic helping with the search.
“In that case, we don’t really have the location, except the final destination, so we’re just looking for the Gulf Stream between the Bahamas and South Florida,” he said.
Hernandez said that conducting a search requires a lot of work.
“They take into account the size of the ship, the amount of gasoline, the engine it has. So you have other people who draw the real currents, the real climate involved, ”he said.
Below are the agencies and crews in search of the missing boat:
- Clearwater C-130 Coast Guard Air Station Hercules Crew
- Miami Coast Guard Air Station Ocean Sentry crew HC-144
- Coast Guard Cutter Margaret Norvel Crew
- Surface units of the Bahamas Royal Defense Force
- Air resources of the Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association
The Coast Guard said there is no timetable for how long they will continue to search for the boat.
Anyone who can assist with the search should contact the Coast Guard District Seven Command Center at 305-415-6800.