The Coast Guard ended its search for a possible person in the water near Galveston, officials said in a release.
The Coast Guard launched the search Saturday morning after an unmanned vessel was spotted adrift. On Saturday afternoon, the owner of the vessel assured the Coast Guard that the ship had merely broken away during the storms overnight.
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At around 2 a.m. on Saturday, the Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston watchstanders received a call from the Tiki Island Police Department regarding an unmanned vessel and adrift 21-foot Sea Chaser near the east side of Jones Bay, according to officials.
Watchstanders were unable to make contact with the owner of the vessel and issued an urgent marine information broadcast, officials said.
A Coast Guard Station Galveston 29-foot response boat with a small crew was sent to the scene, according to officials.
The owner of the vessel contacted the Sector Houston-Galveston watchstanders after a notification through social media and confirmed that it had broken away from his boat slip during a storm.
“The Coast Guard treats cases of adrift vessels the same as a man overboard until we can be certain the owner or operator is accounted for,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Phillip Woods, an operations specialist at Sector Houston-Galveston. “Registering your vessel through Texas Parks and Wildlife with accurate contact information is an important step in assisting the Coast Guard with identification. Additionally, ensuring your vessel is properly secured ahead of inclement weather is paramount to protecting yours, as well as others', life and property.”