The Tribune

By FARRAH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

THE US Coast Guard has suspended its search for a boat that left The Bahamas last week with 20 people on board, but failed to arrive at its planned destination in South Florida a day later.

In a statement released on January 1, the American officials said they called off the search after rescue teams had covered 17,000 square miles over the course of 84 hours in search of the blue and white 29-foot Mako Cuddy Cabin vessel that may have been trying to smuggle people into the US.

Last Monday, the boat set off from Bimini, but the Coast Guard District Seven Watchstanders received a report a day later informing them the vessel did not arrive in Florida as expected.

Although officials have not identified any of the passengers, some 20 people were believed to be on board the boat.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the missing people,” Captain Stephen V Burdian, Seventh District Chief of Response, said in the statement.

“I encourage anyone with information about the people aboard to contact us as soon as possible.”

The search was a joint effort between the US Coast Guard air and sea crews, the Patrick Air Force Base in Brevard County, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and the Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association.

On Saturday, Chris Lloyd, an operations manager from BASRA, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel there were several factors that suggested the vessel may have been involved in a smuggling operation and had either “evaded detection” or was overturned in rough waters.

“It left Grand Bahama, we understand, with 10 people and went to Bimini and picked up more people and, already, 10 people is over capacity for that boat,” he told the publication.

“To go to Bimini is totally the opposite direction of going to Lake Worth, so the purpose of going to Bimini is to pick up more people.”

Mr Lloyd said weather conditions were also extremely poor when the vessel set sail.

“It was awful, awful, awful weather with no boating whatsoever. When you’re overloaded and the conditions are like that, things can happen terribly quickly.”

Mr Lloyd, who told the publication his association regularly communicates with marine officials, said smugglers would opt to go to Lake Worth Beach because they believe there would be fewer law enforcement patrols in Boynton Beach or West Palm Beach compared with busier inlets in Broward or Miami-Dade counties.

Officials are asking anyone with information regarding the Mako Cuddy Cabin vessel to contact the District Seven Command Centre at 1-305-415-6800.