The Genesis-I: Crew Feedback and Vessel Data

On March 18, 2016, the 19-foot Seacraft boat belonging to two Florida teenagers was located approximately 100 miles off the coast of Bermuda by the Norwegian multipurpose supply vessel, Edda Fjord. The crew of Edda Fjord spotted the drifting boat floating in a busy shipping lane and retrieved it while on their voyage back to Norway. Upon inspection, personal belongings such as a cell phone and plastic tackle boxes were discovered aboard the vessel. Key identifiers including a marine store sticker and engine serial number led authorities to confirm that the boat belonged to Perry Cohen and Austin Stephanos, both aged 14, who vanished at sea during a sudden weather change on July 24, 2015. The U.S. Coast Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced on April 23 that they had positively identified the boat. Family members of the missing teens have been informed of the recovery. The boat is scheduled to be shipped back to the United States on May 16. The personal items retrieved from the boat will be returned to the families, with the option for them to decide if they wish to pursue further analysis of the items. Plans to inspect the vessel for additional findings are also in place. Perry's mother, Pamela Cohen, along with his stepfather, Nick Korniloff, expressed their gratitude to the captain and 16-member crew of Edda Fjord for their efforts in recovering the vessel linked to their son's disappearance. Days following the teens' disappearance, search teams had previously found the boat hundreds of miles off Florida’s Atlantic coast, north of Jupiter, where the boys had departed. The Coast Guard had marked the vessel with a data buoy due to deep waters prohibiting the use of an anchor. Although one life jacket was recovered from the sea, there was no sign of the boys. When the investigators arrived to tow the vessel, it had already drifted about 67 nautical miles off Florida’s Ponce de Leon Inlet, and the buoy subsequently malfunctioned, leading to the boat's absence from radar until its recent recovery by Edda Fjord, which reached Haugesund on April 12.

On November 10, the vessel 'Edda Fjord' (IMO 9246114) set sail from Mekjarvik, heading towards Haugesund for necessary repair work. Following the completion of these repairs, the ship is scheduled to take on a new duty in Kristiansund, starting November 18.