Search called off for fisherman in Houston Ship Channel

The Coast Guard is searching for fisherman Ba Van Nguyen, who went missing Friday night in the Houston Ship Channel near Eagle Point. The Coast Guard is searching for fisherman Ba Van Nguyen, who went missing Friday night in the Houston Ship Channel near Eagle Point. Photo: Courtesy Of Judy Nguyen Photo: Courtesy Of Judy Nguyen Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close Search called off for fisherman in Houston Ship Channel 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

After a 25-hour search, the Coast Guard decided to suspend the effort to find a fisherman who went missing Friday night in the Houston Ship Channel near Eagle Point.

Ba Van Nguyen, 59, reportedly left on his 54-foot shrimp boat, the Regina Pacis, early Friday and was supposed to return by 2 p.m., authorities said. The Houston-Galveston sector of the U.S. Coast Guard was alerted Friday evening by a good Samaritan that Nguyen's boat was spinning in circles near marker 53 with no one aboard.

They searched 272 square miles before opting to suspend the search around 6:45 p.m. Saturday.

"Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of Mr. Ba Van Nguyen," Lt. Melissa K. McCafferty, Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston command duty officer said in a news release. "Our hearts are with them in this troubling time. On behalf of the Coast Guard, we would like to extend a special thank you to the other agencies and volunteers for their support in the search effort."

According to Nguyen's daughter's Facebook, the family is out on the water searching for him. The family has set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds toward the "continuing search efforts for him via Equusearch Texas."