On January 31, 2026, at the end of the afternoon, the Coast Guard received a report from a person stating that a fishing boat with two men on board was missing. The vessel had departed from the Aves Islands toward Curaçao on January 30, 2026, carrying two men from Curaçao.
After receiving the report, the Coast Guard’s Maritime Operations Center (MOC) calculated and established a search area for the missing vessel. In addition, UMIB and NAVTEX messages were sent to ships near the search area, asking them to look out for the missing fishing boat. The Coast Guard Dash aircraft was then deployed and directed toward the area near Bonaire to conduct an aerial search.
On the morning of February 1, 2026, the MOC received a report that someone had spotted a large crate (similar to a large cooler box) stuck between rocks near Klein Curaçao. Shortly afterward, a second report came in from someone who had seen a large floating crate, possibly also a cooler box, in the water near Oostpunt, Curaçao.
Around the same time, the MOC made contact with the pleasure vessel My Pearl, which had received the VHF Channel 16 message about the missing fishermen. The vessel was on its way from Bonaire to Klein Curaçao and immediately offered assistance in the search. Based on the reports, the MOC directed the Dash aircraft toward Klein Curaçao to investigate further.
A short time later, the crew of My Pearl reported that they had seen two people in the water near Klein Curaçao. The men were floating on the lid of a cooler box. The crew of My Pearl rescued both men from the water and maintained contact with the MOC throughout the operation. The vessel then headed toward Curaçao, where the two men were transferred to a Coast Guard Metal Shark patrol boat.
The rescued men stated that they had been drifting at sea for two days and were exhausted. Upon arrival at the Coast Guard pier at Parera, they were handed over to ambulance services for medical care.
The Coast Guard wished the two men a speedy recovery and thanked the crew of My Pearl for their assistance in the rescue.
