PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The U.S. Coast Guard Sector Virginia has suspended its search for a missing man as of Sunday.
Crews from Station Portsmouth and Air Station Elizabeth City were searching for Derrick L. Fluellen, a missing contractor from Portsmouth Marine Terminal, according to a Facebook post. The port authority notified the Coast Guard at about 4 p.m. Saturday that Fluellen was last seen while working on the M/V Atlantic Oceanic at the PMT shipyard.
After a thorough search of the ship and a wellness check at his home, Fluellen was not located.
On Sunday, Lt. Mike Long of Coast Guard Sector Virginia said, "We feel as though we've concentrated the area where a person above the water would most likely be."
The search included sonar, a USCG HH60 helicopter, a USCG 29-foot response boat, and remotely operated vehicles. The Port Authority Police Department, Portsmouth Marine Police Department, Norfolk Police Department, and Chesapeake Emergency Services have joined in the search.
Authorities were interviewing coworkers, analyzing cell phone data, and searching the facility.
Anyone with information about Fluellen’s whereabouts is urged to call Sector Virginia Command Center at 757-638-6637.