Hopes fade as search for missing fishermen off Suriname Coast suspended

The Coast Guard of Suriname has officially suspended the large-scale search operation for four fishermen who went missing after their SK boat sank near Lareco on the evening of October 18.

The men reportedly encountered trouble in the open sea roughly 100 kilometres off the Surinamese coast.

The distress signal only reached authorities on the morning of Monday, 20 October, resulting in a significant delay that hampered rescue efforts.

According to reliable sources, approximately 34 hours had passed since the incident before the Coast Guard was notified.

During this time, the powerful Guyana Current, moving west-northwest at around 4 km/h, likely carried any potential debris or survivors over 168 kilometres from the last known location, possibly into Guyanese waters.

The search began on Monday morning when the first message was received at about 10:00 a.m.

The District Commissioner of Saramacca provided coordinates for the operation, though one of the reported positions was incorrect, further complicating rescue efforts.

Despite the challenges, air support was quickly arranged in partnership with Omni Helicopters and Chevron.

Two helicopter flights were conducted over a wide search area, including Guyanese waters, but yielded no signs of the missing fishermen.

Concurrently, the Surinamese Navy dispatched the patrol vessel RSS Barracuda, which combed the sea from the search site all the way to the coast of Nickerie.

Along the way, the patrol vessel also assisted a Venezuelan fishing vessel experiencing engine trouble. The Coast Guard of Guyana lent assistance in the search, and all offshore vessels in the region were asked to remain vigilant.

Despite this coordinated multinational response, by air and sea, no trace of the fishermen or their vessel was found.

An official evaluation attributed the failure to locate the fishermen to the long delay before the rescue operation began and to incomplete or inaccurate initial information.

The Coast Guard has now changed the status of the fishermen from “missing at sea” to “missing” and has suspended active search efforts until further notice.

Authorities have stated that if human remains or wreckage are discovered in the future, salvage and identification efforts will be initiated to provide closure for the families.

The Coast Guard expressed gratitude to all partners involved in the extensive search, including the Navy, Maritime Police, Omni Helicopters, Chevron, ExxonMobil, and the Guyana Coast Guard.

Meanwhile, Guyana’s Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, voiced concern for the missing fishermen on Wednesday, emphasising the importance of cross-border cooperation in such emergencies.

Minister Mustapha stated that he remains in contact with Guyana’s Ambassador to Suriname for the latest updates and noted that preliminary reports indicate the crew sent distress calls prior to disappearing.

An official statement from the Ministry of Agriculture is expected once more information becomes available.

Efforts to identify and contact relatives of the missing fishermen, including inquiries with the Corentyne Fisheries Department and Region Six Police Commander, have so far yielded no reports of missing persons, raising uncertainty about the fishermen’s origins.