Tanker Crew Member Missing After Falling Overboard in the Elbe Estuary
A crew member from the tanker Songa Pearl remains missing after falling overboard in the Elbe estuary, prompting a large-scale search and rescue operation that was later suspended. The incident was reported by The Maritime Telegraph.
The 29-year-old sailor went missing on January 25 while the chemical and oil products tanker was transiting German waters en route from Antwerp, Belgium, to Gdańsk, Poland. The alarm was raised at around 06:00 local time, when the crew realized the seafarer had not been seen for several hours, leaving uncertainty about the exact point at which he entered the water.
The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Bremen, supported by the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service (DGzRS), coordinated an extensive operation involving multiple rescue vessels, pilot boats, water police units, a tugboat, and a helicopter from the German Navy. The search covered a wide area between the Weser and Elbe estuaries, where tidal conditions complicated the effort.
At approximately 07:00, rescuers recovered a lifebuoy with a flashing light in the Lower Elbe, later confirmed to belong to Songa Pearl. No further traces of the missing crew member were detected. As reported by Safety4Sea, the search continued across all primary sectors but yielded no additional findings.
After exhausting the designated search areas, authorities officially suspended the operation at 12:52 pm, pending new information. The tanker remained in the area during the search and was later cleared to resume its voyage.
