PORT ANGELES — The Coast Guard has suspended its search for a missing cruise ship passenger northwest of Protection Island in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
The search for an unidentified 64-year-old man was called off at 6:10 p.m. Monday.
Tuesday, Holland America cruise line would not identify the passenger other than to say he’s not a resident of Washington state.
The cruise line said the passenger, a U.S. citizen traveling alone on a 14-day round trip between Seattle and Alaska, was aboard the ms Statendam when it sailed Sunday night after a port visit in Victoria but did not check off the ship as it docked in Seattle on Monday morning.
Using footage from the ship’s video cameras, Holland America officials narrowed the man’s disappearance to about 12:40 a.m. Monday morning, which led the Coast Guard to search northwest of Protection Island, officials said.
Neither the Coast Guard nor Holland America would say what the video showed.
“Since [the] investigation is ongoing, we cannot provide additional detail,” said Erik Elvejord, director of public relations for Holland America Line in Seattle.
On Tuesday, Coast Guard spokeswoman Petty Officer Katelyn Shearer said she has not been provided the name of the missing man.
The Coast Guard searched more than 230 square miles in the Protection Island area north of the Clallam-Jefferson County line for more than six hours before suspending the search.
The search will be resumed if there is additional information or evidence that could lead to the location of the missing man, Shearer said.
The Coast Guard effort included an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station/Sector Field Office Port Angeles; two 87-foot patrol boat crews; the Coast Guard cutters Blueshark, based in Everett, and Wahoo, based in Port Angeles; and two 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crews, one from the Port Angeles station and one from the Seattle station.
The Statendam left Victoria at about 11 p.m. Sunday, headed south to the Port Angeles pilot station off Ediz Hook, then headed east past Port Townsend toward Seattle.
It arrived in Seattle, completing its Alaska cruise, at about 5 a.m. Monday.
A search for the man began after he did not disembark from the ship with other passengers and was not found aboard the ship.
The Coast Guard was notified at 10:55 a.m.
