Sailboat with 4 on board missing on North Sea; Search called off

A sailboat with four people on board is missing on the North Sea. Overnight, the Coast Guard and the rescue organization KNRM launched a major search for the missing vessel, called Luna, but found nothing, the Coast Guard said on X.

A person who remained ashore raised the alarm on Thursday evening after having no contact with the Luna, a red single-masted boat with white sails, for approximately 24 hours.

The Luna was last seen sailing in the North Sea, north of the island of Terschelling. It was heading to the German island group of Heligoland, from where it intended to continue along the Danish coast toward Kristiansand in Norway, NOS reported.

The report prompted a major rescue operation. The Coast Guard and KNRM deployed search boats from Vlieland, Schiermonnikoog, Ameland, Lauwersoog, and Terschelling to search around the Wadden Islands. Search and rescue workers also checked various harbors, while a Coast Guard plane and helicopter searched a wider area from the sky.

The hours-long search yielded nothing, and the deployment was called off. A spokesperson for the Coast Guard told RTL Nieuws that search operations would not resume today. “The entire area has already been searched, so there is no point continuing. In the meantime, they could have sailed in a completely different direction or changed their plans. At that point, it really becomes like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

The spokesperson added that a lack of contact does not necessarily mean the boat and people on it are in trouble. “It is quite normal not to have phone service while at sea.”

The Coast Guard called other vessels via marine radio, asking them to keep an eye out for the Luna, and notified the German and Danish Coast Guards.