Tugboat Crewman Presumed Dead After Falling Overboard

By Ahmar Khan

ST. MARY’S TODAY

CHESAPEAKE BAY --- The U.S. Coast Guard called off the search for a 38-year-old New York crewman who fell off from a tugboat near the CY Buoy after nearly 11 hours, a spokesman for the U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday afternoon.

The crewman was identified as Richard Kuczera and the tug boat’s name is Emma M. Roehrig, said spokesman Petty Officer Kip Wadlow. The tug belonged to Roehrig Maritime LLC of Glen Cove, NY.

Kuczera fell overboard approximately 5 am, approximately eight miles west of Cape Charles, Va.

There were three other crew members on board at the time Roehrig went missing, Wadlow said.

Asked if foul play was suspected, Wadlow said, “The operation was focused on search and rescue.”

But parent company, Roehrig Maritime LLC drew a blank. "I don't know what you are talking about," one company official said from Glen Cove. E-mails sent to all company executives, including chief executive officer Chris Roehrig, went unanswered until press time.

To a question if the crewman was presumed dead, Wadlow said the Coast Guard does what is called a survivability ratio in such cases. “The Coast Guard did not expect him to survive past this afternoon,” he said.

He said it was very hard for the Coast Guard to call off a search. “Any time anyone sees something, they can call and we will resume our search,” Wadlow said.

The more than 10-hour long search operation was conducted in a nearly 80 square miles area. Coast Guard 25 and 41-foot search and rescue boats from Station Cape Charles, two Coast Guard HH-60 Jayhawk helicopters from Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., along with the Maryland pilot vessel Patapsco were involved in the search.

Two tugboats Bando Sea and Emma M. Roehrig also tried to locate Kuczera after he was reported missing early Wednesday morning.

Kuczera’s sister-in-law reached at his home in Staten Island, NY, said he was a crewman all his life. Linda, who did not want to give her last name, said Kuczera had worked for Roehrig Maritime LLC for two years now.

“We really don’t know what happened,” she told ST. MARY’S TODAY. “You should ask the company.”

Earlier in the morning, an HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., was also on the scene but was forced to return to base due to intense fog in the area, the Coast Guard spokesman said.

The Coast Guard reminds boaters that winter brings lower water temperatures and with it increased chances of boaters getting hypothermia. Because water absorbs heat 25 times faster than air, increased protection against exposure can improve the time a boater has to exit the water if they fall overboard.

Most body heat is lost through the extremities, and boaters should take steps to ensure they are protected. For instance, about 50 percent of heat loss occurs from the head.

Roehrig Maritime LLC owns and operates seven well maintained tugs ranging from 2400 horsepower to 6000 horsepower, according to the Tugboats Enthusiasts Society of America. The names of the other six tugs are: Anabelle V. Roehrig, Eileen M. Roehrig, Brandon C. Roehrig, Francis E. Roehrig, Vivian L. Roehrig and Heidi E.Roehrig.

The company’s job website reads, “We are currently looking for people who are not afraid to work.”