An extensive search for a missing sea ambulance and its four crew members off the waters of the Republic of the Marshall Islands has been suspended on Monday.

The U.S. Coast Guard and the RMI stopped their search just before 5am on March 10, with no sightings after more than 16 searches, 82 hours and covering over 52,000 square nautical miles.

The 37-foot sea ambulance, with a captain, nurse practitioner, health assistant, and community health outreach worker on board, went missing on March 3rd after departing Majuro for Mili Atoll.

Despite using planes and ships from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and Marshall Islands, no sign of the sea ambulance or its crew was found.

“We stand with the families and the Republic of the Marshall Islands community in their grief,” said Chief Warrant Officer Sara Muir, public affairs officer of U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam. “Our Navy and Marshallese partners poured extraordinary skill and resolve into this search across a vast Pacific expanse. Suspending active efforts doesn’t diminish our respect for these mariners’ lives or the hope that answers may still come.”

Muir said the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) Honolulu team coordinated the operation, adapting to challenging conditions, including a Small Craft Advisory with east winds of 20 knots and swells up to 9 feet through March 10.

The sea ambulance crew carried 10 life jackets, a signal kit with flares, a torch, and reflector mirrors, over 200 gallons of fuel, a VHF radio, radar, GPS, and a satellite phone, but lacked an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) or Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) aboard the vessel.

The case is suspended pending new information. Anyone with information or sighting is urged to contact the JRCC Honolulu watch toll-free at 1-800-331-6176.