PORTSMOUTH, Va. - The U.S. Coast Guard on Sunday afternoon suspended a search for a contractor last seen Saturday working on a ship at Portsmouth Marine Terminal.
According to a social media post from the Coast Guard Sector Virginia, the port authority notified the Coast Guard of missing Derrick Fluellen around 4 p.m. Saturday.
They said he'd been working on the offshore supply ship M/V Atlantic Oceanic at the terminal's shipyard but hadn't been seen in some time. A search of the ship and a call to Fluellen's family for a wellness check turned up empty.
The Coast Guard says the following search for the missing man included boats in the Elizabeth River, a helicopter, sonar and cell phone data. The search was unsuccessful and suspended overnight Saturday into Sunday.
It's expected to pick back up Sunday morning. The Port Authority Police Department, Portsmouth Marine Police Department, Norfolk Police Department, and Chesapeake Emergency Services are all assisting.
Anyone with information that can help find Fluellen is asked to call Sector Virginia Command Center at 757-638-6637.
