A Coast Guard search is underway off the coast of Galveston, in the Gulf of Mexico for a missing Royal Caribbean cruise ship crew member.
A 39-year-old Filipino did not report for work as scheduled aboard Liberty of the Seas. He was last seen on the ship's closed-circuit TV system at about 1:30 a.m. on Monday and was reported missing at 4:30 a.m. after complete search of the vessel was conducted, according to a statement from the cruise line. The missing man serves as a bartender.
The Coast Guard search involving a patrol boat out of Galveston and an airplane crew from Corpus Christi is focused on an area about 170 mi southeast of Galveston.
Liberty of the Seas is on a 7-night itinerary that departed port of Galveston on Sunday with ports of calls including Cozumel, George Town Harbour and Falmouth.