A missing crewmember from the Malta-flagged crude oil tanker Songa Pearl was found on board the vessel following a large-scale SAR operation after the crew reported his disappearance while navigating the Lower Elbe River off Cuxhaven.
The incident began shortly after 06:00 on 25 January 2026, when the crew of the 144-metre, 17,539 dwt Songa Pearl – underway from Antwerp, Belgium to Gdańsk, Poland – informed authorities that a 29-year-old seaman had not been seen for several hours. The tanker was in transit up the Elbe estuary when the alert was raised.
German maritime rescue authorities, led by the German Maritime Search and Rescue Society (DGzRS) and the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Bremen, immediately launched a broad SAR effort. Teams deployed six rescue vessels, water police units, government pilot boats, tug support vessel and helicopter.
Search planners initially charted a wide search area between the Weser and Elbe estuaries, accounting for tidal drift and the possibility that the missing seafarer had fallen overboard. Search boats also spotted a lifebuoy with a flashing light that matched the Songa Pearl, helping focus search efforts on the Lower Elbe sector.
After an extensive multi-agency effort, DGzRS suspended the active search around midday on 27 January, pending further information. Later that day, an update confirmed the missing seafarer had been found alive on board the Songa Pearl and was transferred to the care of rescue personnel on land. The tanker subsequently arrived in Gdańsk, Poland.
Authorities have not released details on how the seafarer came to be unaccounted for or the specific circumstances of his absence from sight, nor have they provided a statement on whether any safety procedures are being reviewed following the incident.
