Coast Guard authorities announced Saturday that a U.S. search aircraft has detected an overturned hull matching the profile of the missing American-registered cargo ship Mariana, which disappeared off the coast of the U.S. territory of Saipan with six crew members on board. Confirmation of the vessel’s identity has not yet been completed, search teams confirmed.
The sighting was made by the crew of a HC-130 Hercules aircraft early Saturday, roughly 100 nautical miles northeast of the Mariana’s last reported position, 34 nautical miles northeast of Pagan, an uninhabited small island lying north of Saipan in the western Pacific Ocean. Preliminary assessments from the Coast Guard confirmed the overturned vessel aligns with the physical description of the 145-foot dry cargo ship, which is officially registered in the United States.
The incident unfolded in the path of Super Typhoon Sinlaku, which bore down on the Mariana Islands archipelago this week. On Wednesday, as the massive storm brought ferocious wind speeds and continuous torrential rain to Saipan and surrounding islands, the Mariana suffered a critical engine failure. The crew of the cargo vessel issued a distress call reporting they had lost power to their starboard engine and required emergency assistance. After receiving the call, the Coast Guard established a scheduled hourly check-in protocol to maintain contact with the stranded ship.
However, all communication with the Mariana was lost on Thursday. A HC-130 search plane was launched from Guam shortly after contact went dark, but severe wind conditions from the typhoon forced the aircraft to abort the mission and return to base.
The Mariana’s final known location was approximately 140 miles north-northwest of Saipan, which sits more than 3,800 miles west of the Hawaiian Islands. As of Saturday, Coast Guard command centers in Honolulu were processing new details from the sighting to coordinate next steps in the operation.
Officials have not yet released information on the nationalities of the six missing crew members. A multi-agency, multinational search effort has been assembled to continue the operation and confirm the identity of the capsized vessel: a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol plane, a Coast Guard cutter, a Japanese Coast Guard aircraft, and a Japanese vessel outfitted with a specialized dive rescue team are all scheduled to join the search.
Beyond the missing ship, Typhoon Sinlaku has caused widespread damage across the Northern Mariana Islands. The storm has triggered flash flooding, ripped roofs off residential and commercial buildings, and flipped vehicles across Saipan. Because of the typhoon’s unusually large size, Saipan endured nearly 48 hours of continuous severe wind, which significantly delayed initial damage assessments and emergency response operations across the territory. Local officials have warned that some parts of the Northern Marianas could remain without electrical power for weeks following the storm.