The U.S Coast Guard has suspended the search for a crew member who went missing on Monday, April 24.
A search for a missing 39-year-old Filipino crew member has now been suspended by the U.S. Coast Guard. The crew member was last seen on CCTV footage at around 1:30 AM on Monday onboard Liberty of the Seas which is operated by Royal Caribbean.
The Coast Guard was alerted at around 4:30 AM and an immediate search operation launched. The ship was 170 southeast of Galveston, Texas at the time. The search ended on Tuesday afternoon after a total of over 5,000 square nautical miles was covered. Several assets were used in the search including a cutter vessel and an airplane.
Liberty of the Seas was heading towards Cozumel, Mexico at the time as part of a week-long Western Caribbean cruise. The ship will arrive back at its home port in Galveston on April 30. The crew member has been named as Norman DeCastro. Very sad news indeed and condolences go out to his family and friends.
The Royal Caribbean ship is 154,400 gross tons and can carry over 3,600 guests at double occupancy.
