Search underway off Australia for missing bulker crewmember

Australian agencies are conducting a search south of Newcastle in New South Wales for a crewman missing from the 95,522 dwt bulk carrier Double Delight.

The Police Marine Area Command dispatched two Marine Rescue NSW vessels to look for the missing crew member at 12 pm local time. A Westpac rescue helicopter and a Defence Force helicopter were also added to the search.

The search is focused around the Singaporean-flagged bulker off Redhead, a coastal suburb of the City of Lake Macquarie south of Newcastle. According to available information, the search will continue until nightfall.

The crew member was last seen on the ship, located around eight kilometres off Newcastle, around 11:30 pm local time on Thursday. The crewman did not report for duty in the morning and after a search of the vessel, the crew assumed that he fell into the water.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), which is leading the search, was notified by the Newcastle harbourmaster just after 11 am that the crew member from the bulker had reportedly gone overboard.

AMSA said in a statement that it also tasked the Newcastle-based NSW Water Police and a Port Stephens-based Water Police vessel to assist in the search.

According to Equasis data, the 2015-built vessel is owned and operated by Japan-based Sugahara Kisen.