Coast Guard Search Still On For Antonio Matabang, Cruise Ship Worker, 1/1/09

[foxfarmboxers]

Coast Guard searches sea for cruise ship worker


* NEW: Fall from deck "clearly accidental," cruise line says
* NEW: Carnival Sensation entertainment employee was off-duty, company says
* Coast Guard using aircraft, boats to look for man off Florida's east coast
* Man fell early Thursday, 20 miles off Vero Beach, Florida





(CNN) -- The Coast Guard is searching for a cruise ship employee who fell overboard early Thursday off Florida's east coast.

Six fellow employees saw the off-duty entertainment staff member fall overboard at 12:40 a.m. ET, a Carnival Cruise Lines statement said.

"The eyewitness accounts indicate that this was clearly an accidental overboard," the statement said.

The other employees threw the man a life ring as the Carnival Sensation sailed about 20 miles off Vero Beach, Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class James Harless said. Video Watch the cruise ship return and hear passengers' stories »

The Coast Guard was notified within minutes and immediately began searching for the man with an airplane, a rescue helicopter, a Coast Guard cutter, and a small boat dispatched from nearby Fort Pierce, he said.

Carnival said the Coast Guard released the ship at about 6 a.m., and the vessel arrived at its home port of Port Canaveral, Florida, about 9:25 a.m.
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"Our thoughts and prayers are with this young man at this time as well as with his friends and family," the company statement said.

The Carnival Sensation -- which sails twice weekly to the Bahamas from Port Canaveral -- was returning from a four-day Bahamas cruise that departed Port Canaveral on December 28.


See Complete Story At: http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/01/01/cruise.ship.search/index.html


Man, what is it with all these folks going overboard on these Cruise Ships. I always thought I wanted to take a cruise, not so sure anymore........JMO....

[SavannahStar]

Man, what is it with all these folks going overboard on these Cruise Ships. I always thought I wanted to take a cruise, not so sure anymore........JMO....


Funny you should say this. I am going on my first cruise ever, with my son, this coming summer. I have always wanted to go on a cruise but never had the opportunity. A close friend of mine gave me a gift of a $500 Carnival voucher, which spurred me on to just go ahead and finally do it.

But you're right.....this is getting downright SCARY with all the people going overboard. I know a lady on TV the other night (from the cruise line industry) said it was a rare occurence....but sheesh...when it's on the news fairly frequently....

:shock:

[foxfarmboxers]

Funny you should say this. I am going on my first cruise ever, with my son, this coming summer. I have always wanted to go on a cruise but never had the opportunity. A close friend of mine gave me a gift of a $500 Carnival voucher, which spurred me on to just go ahead and finally do it.

But you're right.....this is getting downright SCARY with all the people going overboard. I know a lady on TV the other night (from the cruise line industry) said it was a rare occurence....but sheesh...when it's on the news fairly frequently....

:shock:

Better pack your own "rescue gear".....:happy0158:

[Roamer]

It's happening a lot. We have threads and threads about it in International Missing.

What upsets me is that the cruise lines are so tight lipped about it. The passengers on the one where the woman fell last week said they didn't even know about it until they got off the ship a couple days later. I think they have a right to know.

[sunstar]

It's happening a lot. We have threads and threads about it in International Missing.

What upsets me is that the cruise lines are so tight lipped about it. The passengers on the one where the woman fell last week said they didn't even know about it until they got off the ship a couple days later. I think they have a right to know.

I sure have no desire to take a cruise anywhere! Besides these accidents I have a fear of falling so I wouldn't be anywhere near the railings. :71526: I think the silence is because this is an industry that needs passengers to make money so a lot is just "not mentioned". MOO

[Trailblazer]

Funny you should say this. I am going on my first cruise ever, with my son, this coming summer. I have always wanted to go on a cruise but never had the opportunity. A close friend of mine gave me a gift of a $500 Carnival voucher, which spurred me on to just go ahead and finally do it.

But you're right.....this is getting downright SCARY with all the people going overboard. I know a lady on TV the other night (from the cruise line industry) said it was a rare occurence....but sheesh...when it's on the news fairly frequently....

:shock:


It is a rare occurence....I've been on over 25 cruises...and never had anyone go overboard...

More times than not, alcohol is the main reason, someone falls overboard, and then you have those that commit suicide...

Go have fun...If you compare this with car accidents, it's minute...

[awakening2lite]

News Release Date: Jan. 1, 2009
Contact: PA2 James Harless
(786) 367-7649
Coast Guard searching for overboard cruise ship employee MIAMI -- The Coast Guard is searching for an employee from the cruise ship Carnival Sensation, who fell overboard while the ship was at sea about 20 miles east of Vero Beach, Fla., Thursday. Co-workers reported him falling overboard to cruise ship officials around 12:50 a.m. Thursday. Cruise ship personnel immediately contacted the Coast Guard for assistance and initiated a search for the employee.
Coast Guard search and rescue coordinators in Miami launched an Air Station Miami HU-25 Falcon jet crew, HH-65C Dolphin helicopter crew, HU-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew, 33-foot Special Purpose boat crew from Station Fort Pierce, Fla., and the Cutter Bluefin and Cutter Shrike, both 87-foot patrol boats, to search for the missing employee. The Carnival Sensation is also assisting with the search.




###
Saving Lives and Guarding the Coast Since 1790.
The United States Coast Guard -- Proud History. Powerful Future.


http://www.d7publicaffairs.com/

[sunstar]

a2l ~ I'm still confused ~ how is it so easy for somebody to fall overboard? :smiley_aasg:

[awakening2lite]

a2l ~ I'm still confused ~ how is it so easy for somebody to fall overboard? :smiley_aasg:

I wish I knew the answer to your question.

The standard for railings is 1 meter, that's 39 1/2 inches. There has been a call to raise the railings to 52 inches.

There is a lot of alcohol consumed on board and some of the cases do have reports of some who were heavily intoxicated when they went over, but not all. There are also some who speculate some have climbed a deck chair to lean over the railing and lost their hold. And sadly, there are some who have deliberately jumped or have been pushed or thrown overboard. Each case is unique.

With very few exceptions, most of the incidents occur between 8:00 pm and 5:00 am.

I would like to encourage anyone taking a cruise to read the thread: Cruise Ship Safety Tips.
http://helpfindthemissing.org/forum/showthread.php?t=4732

[SavannahStar]

It is a rare occurence....I've been on over 25 cruises...and never had anyone go overboard...

More times than not, alcohol is the main reason, someone falls overboard, and then you have those that commit suicide...

Go have fun...If you compare this with car accidents, it's minute...

Wow, 25 cruises is a lot!!!! There are a few acquaintances of mine who cruise quite a bit like that. Seems with some it just gets in your blood and you love it. That's wonderful!

I'm not toooooo worried. :biggrin:

[sunstar]

I wish I knew the answer to your question.

The standard for railings is 1 meter, that's 39 1/2 inches. There has been a call to raise the railings to 52 inches.

There is a lot of alcohol consumed on board and some of the cases do have reports of some who were heavily intoxicated when they went over, but not all. There are also some who speculate some have climbed a deck chair to lean over the railing and lost their hold. And sadly, there are some who have deliberately jumped or have been pushed or thrown overboard. Each case is unique.

With very few exceptions, most of the incidents occur between 8:00 pm and 5:00 am.

I would like to encourage anyone taking a cruise to read the thread: Cruise Ship Safety Tips.
http://helpfindthemissing.org/forum/showthread.php?t=4732

Thanks so much for all the information! I'm just thinking this last incident is strange because he was an employee who should know all the safety tips. Poor guy. :frown:

[awakening2lite]

Thanks so much for all the information! I'm just thinking this last incident is strange because he was an employee who should know all the safety tips. Poor guy. :frown:

Since we are on the subject of crew going overboard I'll tell you what I find most odd. I try to keep track of the crew that goes missing and list them in the Cruise Data Summary sticky thread. It is frustrating to continue updates on them because they do not give the names of crew members. What's that all about? From what I have been able to find out the crew can be made up by people from all around the world and the registered port has very little to do with the nationality of the crew. This has led me to wonder just how successful the crew communicates among themselves and may even lead to some turmoil on the job. No information was available in my searches to determine how the crew is screened for criminal records or references.

There are also other crimes on board the Cruise ships that have not been included in this forum because the forum focus is on the missing. It may be that some of those crimes are associated or involved in some way with the disappearances of some of the missing persons. The last few years the FBI (and laws to support their efforts) have passed and the FBI is called whenever an American citizen is missing in international waters. In many cases the jurisdiction is still in question when a crime occurs.

As far as the safety of the crew, the content of the Cruise Safety thread may not apply or be as appropriate to their needs as they are not usually free to wander the decks and in the performance of their duties they would not be able to be accompanied by friends or companions. Their safety needs while on the job (I think) would be different in many ways.

Like any industry that relies on the desire of the public, there is little info distributed about unfortunate events.

[foxfarmboxers]

Since we are on the subject of crew going overboard I'll tell you what I find most odd. I try to keep track of the crew that goes missing and list them in the Cruise Data Summary sticky thread. It is frustrating to continue updates on them because they do not give the names of crew members. What's that all about? From what I have been able to find out the crew can be made up by people from all around the world and the registered port has very little to do with the nationality of the crew. This has led me to wonder just how successful the crew communicates among themselves and may even lead to some turmoil on the job. No information was available in my searches to determine how the crew is screened for criminal records or references.

There are also other crimes on board the Cruise ships that have not been included in this forum because the forum focus is on the missing. It may be that some of those crimes are associated or involved in some way with the disappearances of some of the missing persons. The last few years the FBI (and laws to support their efforts) have passed and the FBI is called whenever an American citizen is missing in international waters. In many cases the jurisdiction is still in question when a crime occurs.

As far as the safety of the crew, the content of the Cruise Safety thread may not apply or be as appropriate to their needs as they are not usually free to wander the decks and in the performance of their duties they would not be able to be accompanied by friends or companions. Their safety needs while on the job (I think) would be different in many ways.

Like any industry that relies on the desire of the public, there is little info distributed about unfortunate events.

I noticed this too A2L.....Saw a post somewhere here the other day, where the cruise lines listed the persons going overboard....lots of crew members "un-named"....how can the cruise lines not know the NAMES of their employees?????? ....disturbing...IMO....

[rockford2]

It's happening a lot. We have threads and threads about it in International Missing.

What upsets me is that the cruise lines are so tight lipped about it. The passengers on the one where the woman fell last week said they didn't even know about it until they got off the ship a couple days later. I think they have a right to know.


this is another one??

[rockford2]

Since we are on the subject of crew going overboard I'll tell you what I find most odd. I try to keep track of the crew that goes missing and list them in the Cruise Data Summary sticky thread. It is frustrating to continue updates on them because they do not give the names of crew members. What's that all about? From what I have been able to find out the crew can be made up by people from all around the world and the registered port has very little to do with the nationality of the crew. This has led me to wonder just how successful the crew communicates among themselves and may even lead to some turmoil on the job. No information was available in my searches to determine how the crew is screened for criminal records or references.

There are also other crimes on board the Cruise ships that have not been included in this forum because the forum focus is on the missing. It may be that some of those crimes are associated or involved in some way with the disappearances of some of the missing persons. The last few years the FBI (and laws to support their efforts) have passed and the FBI is called whenever an American citizen is missing in international waters. In many cases the jurisdiction is still in question when a crime occurs.

As far as the safety of the crew, the content of the Cruise Safety thread may not apply or be as appropriate to their needs as they are not usually free to wander the decks and in the performance of their duties they would not be able to be accompanied by friends or companions. Their safety needs while on the job (I think) would be different in many ways.

Like any industry that relies on the desire of the public, there is little info distributed about unfortunate events.

I thought I read several years ago, that in SOME cases, the crew member was somehow involved in crimes that SOMETIMES occur on these cruise ships.
IF these cruise ships are hiring any old person, how are the passengers suppose to know how safe they really are?

[awakening2lite]

EXCERPT ~ USA Today

It's unusual for someone to go overboard from a cruise ship. Two people in the water in less than week is unheard of. Yet Carnival says one of its entertainment crew fell overboard on New Year's – a week after a Florida woman went missing from a Norwegian Cruise Line ship – and the US Coast Guard is once again conducting a search.

According to Carnival, the man fell into the water at 12:40 a.m., while the Carnival Sensation was sailing off the coast of Vero Beach, Fla. Six crew witnessed the incident and immediately notified the ship's command, which started search and rescue activities and contacted the Coast Guard. The ship was returning to Port Canaveral from a four-day Bahamas sailing.


The man was a member of the entertainment crew, and Carnival said in a statement "The eyewitness accounts indicate that this was clearly an accidental overboard." No ID was given. Florida Today is reporting the man may have been a singer in a band that had just finished a performance on the deck, and that he may have been trying to take a photo.


A Coast Guard spokesman told USA TODAY they were actively searching an area north of Vero Beach. After searching throughout the night, this morning the Coast Guard was launching a C-130 aircraft that "can cover a larger area faster," the spokesman said. He said the crew threw a life ring when the man went overboard, but it's not believed he caught it.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/cruises/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=60714424.blog

[awakening2lite]

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg21/awakening2lite/ExpectedSurvivalTimeinColdWater.jpg

[Trailblazer]

http://www.clickorlando.com/news/18397847/detail.html

Passenger: Overboard Worker May Have Been Standing On Ship's Railing
Rescue Crews Continue To Search For Man

POSTED: Friday, January 2, 2009
UPDATED: 7:41 am EST January 2, 2009

PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. -- An entertainment employee who fell overboard from a Carnival cruise ship as he was celebrating the New Year may have been taking pictures while standing on the ship's railing, a passenger told Local 6 News.

Rescue crews continued to search for the man, whose name has not been released, after he fell from Carnival's Sensation ship. Six co-workers saw the man fall from the ship, the cruise company said in a statement.

It marked a solemn ending for what passengers described as an otherwise pleasant four-day cruise to the Bahamas. It was the second fall from a cruise ship in a week.

"It seemed like the whole ship was somber this morning," Maureen Fitzpatrick, a passenger from Connecticut, told Local 6 News partner Florida Today. "You're hoping things turn around for this man. You hope that it turns out for the best."

"It's awful, it's terrible. I'm devastated, as the other passengers are," passenger Sara Tyner, of Tampa, said.

Search planes and helicopters returned to base at dusk Thursday, but the U.S. Coast Guard planned to continue its search on boats throughout the night, Petty Officer James Harless said.

Searchers use a system based on wind conditions, ocean currents and the location where the man went overboard to determine where to look, Harless said. From there, guardsmen follow currents and perform search patterns over the sea.

The chances of the man surviving depend on a number of factors, such as the water temperatures, wave conditions and the man's age and health, Harless said.

Ocean temperature was about 72 degrees, but the man did not have a life jacket to help with the 7- to- 8-foot waves.

Carnival said the fall was "clearly an accidental overboard." It occurred about 20 miles east of Vero Beach.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with this young man at this time as well as with his friends and family," the company statement said.

Passengers said the crew member was a singer with a band that had performed on the top deck of the Carnival Sensation.

Laura Martin, a passenger from upstate New York, said she and her three daughters were leaving the bandstand area on the ship when the incident occurred.

A group of off-duty crew members had been dancing with other passengers, ringing in the New Year, she said.

"They were having fun," she said. "It was very sad."

She said she saw a commotion involving several young women on the entertainment crew. She said they yelled down to other crew members, who immediately went into action to try to rescue the man who went overboard.

Another passenger, Diego Friedmann of Uruguay, said the crew started throwing life jackets to the man. Three vests were thrown, but the man was not able to reach any of them, he said.

Sensation crew began search-and-rescue activities and contacted all authorities, including the Coast Guard.

The Sensation was released by the Coast Guard at 6 a.m. and returned back to Port Canaveral at 9:30 a.m.

Tyner recalled hearing the ship's captain calling to the crew over the ship's speaker system shortly after the incident.

"There was panic in his voice," she said. "This was totally different" from other communications from the captain.

Tyner said the staff was professional as it cleared passengers from the deck.

Meanwhile, passengers said they saw bright lights and helicopters scanning the water while watching the search from their cabin windows.

"Security did everything they could," said Bryce Anderson, a passenger from Kentucky.

Sensation has 920 crew members and more than 1,000 staterooms with capacity for more than 2,000 passengers.

The Carnival Web site said the ship was scheduled to go into dry dock this month for a multimillion-dollar improvements.

[awakening2lite]

http://www.carnival.com/cms/fun/ships/carnival_sensation/images/279x123ship_fa.jpg

CARNIVAL SENSATION

Total Staterooms - 1,026
Private Balcony Staterooms - 54
Decks - 10
Passenger capacity - 2,052
Total crew - 920
Officer's nationality - Italian
Ship size - Large
Tonnage - 70,367
Ship length - 855
Registry - The Bahamas


http://www.carnival.com/cms/fun/ships/carnival_sensation/default.aspx?shipCode=SE

[Trailblazer]

http://www.wftv.com/news/18401614/detail.html

Name Released Of Missing Cruise Entertainer
Friday, January 2, 2009 – updated: 5:29 pm EST January 2, 2009

PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Coast Guard scoured the sea Friday looking for a cruise ship entertainer who fell overboard while posing for a picture. The ship was on its way to Port Canaveral.

Antonio Matabang has been lost at sea now for more than 36 hours. The Coast Guard has now searched more than 2,000 square miles.

Matabang fell the equivalent of eight stories. Experts told Eyewitness News, if you don't hit the water feet first, the fall alone could break bones or kill you.

Also on this link is a video the the missing cruise entertainer

[cavimom]

Funny you should say this. I am going on my first cruise ever, with my son, this coming summer. I have always wanted to go on a cruise but never had the opportunity. A close friend of mine gave me a gift of a $500 Carnival voucher, which spurred me on to just go ahead and finally do it.

But you're right.....this is getting downright SCARY with all the people going overboard. I know a lady on TV the other night (from the cruise line industry) said it was a rare occurence....but sheesh...when it's on the news fairly frequently....

:shock:
No Worries Savannah! Cruises are my favorite Vacation! There is NO reason to fall overboard unless your in a storm, its very rough and windy.. OR your very very Drunk (with any of the above mentioned)! The rails are very high with glass under them.... I just cant understand HOW these people fall over?
:eyebrow1qb:

[sunstar]

Coast Guard ends search for cruise ship worker

updated 2 hours, 55 minutes ago
MIAMI - The Coast Guard has called off the search for a cruise ship employee whose co-workers say fell overboard off Florida.

The workers on the Carnival Sensation had reported the man falling overboard early Thursday. He was identified by the Coast Guard as 26-year-old Antonio Matabang from California.

Coast Guard Petty Officer James Harless says the search ended Friday night.
Helicopters and patrol boats covered more than 3,000 square miles of the Atlantic Ocean east of Vero Beach.

Carnival has said Matabang was a member of the entertainment staff. Six other crew members saw him fall and said it was clearly an accident.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28481454/

[awakening2lite]

News Release Date: Jan. 2, 2009
Contact: PA2 James Harless
(786) 367-7649
Coast Guard suspends search for overboard cruise ship employee MIAMI - The Coast Guard suspended its search Friday at 6:15 p.m. for a cruise ship employee who reportedly went overboard while the cruise ship, Carnival Sensation, was at sea about 20 miles east of Vero Beach, Fla., around 12:50 a.m. Thursday.

Co-workers reported him falling overboard to cruise ship officials around 12:50 a.m. Thursday.

Cruise ship personnel immediately contacted the Coast Guard for assistance and initiated a search for the employee. Coast Guard search and rescue crews arrived on-scene quickly after receiving the report and searched more than 3000 square miles for the missing employee.

Coast Guard assets assisting in the search were :
-- HU-25 Falcon jet crew and HH-65C Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station Miami
-- HU-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew and C-130 Hercules fixed wing aircraft crew from Air Station Clearwater, Fla.
-- 33-foot Special Purpose boat crew from Station Fort Pierce, Fla.
-- Cutter Bluefin homeported in Fort Pierce, Fla. and Cutter Shrike homeported in Port Canaveral, Fla., both 87-foot patrol boats




###
Saving Lives and Guarding the Coast Since 1790.
The United States Coast Guard -- Proud History. Powerful Future.

http://www.d7publicaffairs.com/

[awakening2lite]

Mass is set for missing entertainer

Carnival cruise ship worker Antonio Matabang fell overboard New Year's Day.



By Pamela Hale-Burns, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/06/2009 08:58:31 PM PST



ARTESIA -- A memorial mass will be held Friday for Artesia native Antonio Matabang, the Carnival Sensation cruise ship entertainer who fell overboard near the coast of Florida early New Year's Day.



Matabang, 26, was described by a friend and former co-worker as "very easygoing, relaxed and one who loved to go out and have a good time."
A nurse by profession, Matabang's lifelong love was entertaining, said his friend.



"He auditioned for us when he was 17," said Kathy Dietz, founder and president of the Youth Cultural Arts Foundation in Bellflower. "He had a very beautiful singing voice. He helped us with many different shows and was in several of our shows."



He had also worked as an entertainer at Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm for a time.



The ship, which was returning from the Bahamas, was at sea about 20 miles east of Vero Beach, Fla., when the incident occurred.



"He was very excited when he got the job with the cruise line," Dietz said. "I think he was unhappy as a nurse."



After searching more than 3,000 square miles, the Coast Guard suspended their search for Matabang at 6:15 p.m. Friday, according to Coast Guard spokeswoman Jennifer Johnson.



No body has been recovered.



The memorial will be Friday, at 5 p.m. at Holy Family Church, 18626 Clarkdale Ave., Artesia.





http://www.presstelegram.com/passages/ci_11390271


:1222423:

[Mrs. H]

:1222423:Sadly, a year passes from the day he bid his family farewell and still no word on whether or not he lives. It's such a scary thing to deal with. A loved one, nowhere to be found. Antonio Matabang, Jr. was a close friend of mine a few years back. I'm saddened that we lost touch. I can easily decribe him as a humble individual. He mostly kept to himself except when around those he was close to. Around us, he was a joker, a shoulder to cry on, a talented singer & dancer and just an all around great friend to have in your life. If I could describe him in just one word, I would say he was "dedicated". He dedicated himself to everything he did and to everyone he loved.

I miss him dearly and although I pray every night for his safe return, I have this feeling deep in the pit of my stomach that this was a tragic end for him. Idealy, he is laying in a bed somewhere, recovering. Someone watching the news or randomly surfing the internet will read his name and see his face and know exactly where to find him. A hopeful phone call to his family will one day reunite them again and he will be safe at home.

Until that day, my friend, my prayers will be with you...wherever you may be. I love you...:1222423:

[nanabillie]

Mrs. H., I am so very sorry about your friend. I hope one day you will have answers.