Guo Chuan (Photo : Twitter)
More than 1,000 ships affiliated with China COSCO Shipping Co have been instructed to monitor the sea along their travel routes for signs of finding missing Chinese sailor Guo Chuan.
In a message from COSCO Shipping to Guo's support team on Sunday, on-duty general manager Zhu Liyong said the company is willing to help search for Guo, who has been missing for five days in an attempt a solo non-stop crossing of the Pacific.
"COSCO Shipping attached much importance and informed over 1,000 vessels affiliated to the group travelling within the concerned area [to] help search for Guo," Zhu said, expressing concern over Guo's plight as a ship's captain.
A COSCO-affiliated commercial vessel, Ruian City, was reported to have begun search efforts on its designated route between Hawaii and Japan, according to the state-owned Global Times on Sunday.
"I received calls from both Guo Chuan's team and the China Maritime Rescue Coordination Center asking for assistance in searching for Guo", Ruian City captain Ding Jianwu said.
Ding said five more lookout positions were added and the ship has already scoured several spots where Guo may have possibly drifted to.
The 51-year-old Guo was suspected to have fallen overboard on Oct. 25 900 kilometers off the coast of Hawaii. According to his team, he may have been wearing his life jacket during the accident.
"We are using every possible tools, [including] the radar, binoculars, and our naked eyes in a bid to find Guo," said Ding. "I hope there will be a miracle and pray for Captain Guo."
The search to find Guo by his team and family continues despite the U.S. Coast Guard suspending their search efforts on Thursday. The USCG was the first to locate Guo's damaged trimaran and went aboard the vessel but found no trace of Guo except for one of his life jackets.
Guo's team said a travel company in Hawaii has offered to provide five to 10 helicopters to search for the missing sailor, but they require large ships equipped with helipads.
"These helicopters can fly 500 kilometers without stopping but the site of the accident is 900 kilometers off Hawaii. We need large ships which have helicopter platforms and equipment to refuel the choppers," the team said in a statement.
Prior to the accident, Guo was attempting to break the solo trans-Pacific world record by sailing from San Francisco to Shanghai in 20 days or less. The current world record is at 21 days.
Guo currently owns the world record for his non-stop solo circumnavigation of the world in 138 days.
