The search for an oil platform worker that went missing in the US Gulf of Mexico was called off on Friday after efforts to locate the man over several days were unsuccessful, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
Workers on Renaissance Offshore’s Eugene Island 331 platform alerted the Coast Guard at 6:26 a.m. last Wednesday that a 54-year-old man was missing after entering the water about 75 nautical miles off Vermilion Bay, La.
The Coast Guard said it used 21 assets, including air and boat crews, to scour approximately 3,701 square miles over 56 hours. Platform operators, offshore supply vessels, divers and helicopters also assisted in the search.
“The decision to suspend a search is never an easy one,” said Cmdr. Michael Wolfe, a search and rescue mission coordinator at Sector New Orleans. “Our thoughts are with the family of the missing.”
The cause of the incident is under investigation, the Coast Guard said.