A Panamanian-flagged coastal freighter thought to have been caught up in Hurricane Irma as it passed through the Caribbean has been found safe.
The US Coast Guard (USCG) confirmed the safety of the 570-dwt Princess Samiah (built 1980) of the overdue vessel late on Friday.
The ship had reportedly departed Tuesday from Tortola, British Virgin Islands en-route to the Caribbean island of Grenada, but it did not arrive to its expected destination Thursday.
The USCG in San Juan were initially contacted by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center in Fort de France and made aware of the overdue ship.
However, the USCG eventually made contact with the vessel owner on Friday, who confirmed that it was safely anchored off the Caribbean island of St Vincent.
“This case displayed great coordination between our international partners in Fort De France, Curacao and the US Coast Guard, who despite Hurricane Irma’s impact to the area, were able to locate and determine the safety of the vessel,” said a USCG spokesperson in San Juan.
“It’s highly important that vessels maintain their search and rescue equipment and register their EPIRB’s for their safety.”
