A 25-year-old merchant navy officer from Mirzapur has gone missing near a port in Pennsylvania, the United States. Manish Dwivedi, who worked as a second officer on a merchant vessel, last contacted his family in the early hours of May 7 after the ship reached port near Philadelphia.

According to his father, Santosh Dwivedi, the message simply informed the family that the vessel had docked safely, reported Indian Express. “When the ship reached the port, it was around 4 am in India, so Manish sent us a message saying the vessel had docked because he did not want to disturb us,” Santosh said. “That was the last message we received. Since then, there has been no trace of him,” he added. 

The family later learned from the shipping company that Manish had gone missing after leaving the vessel with two fellow officers to visit a shopping mall near the port area.

Santosh said the two officers, both Russian nationals, later returned to the ship, but his son never came back. “I was told that on May 6, after the vessel docked at a port in Philadelphia, Manish went to a shopping mall with two fellow officers,” he said. “The two officers later returned to the vessel, but Manish never came back,” he said. 

The family first received information about his disappearance on the afternoon of May 7, when company officials contacted them directly. According to Santosh, the company asked whether Manish had contacted his relatives because he had reportedly been missing for several hours.

Since then, the family has received no phone call, message, or update from him. “More than 10 days have passed, and we are deeply worried about his life because he has never disappeared like this before,” Santosh said. “Since May 7, he has not contacted any family member or relative,” he added. 

Who is Manish Dwivedi?

Manish Dwivedi came from Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh and had worked in the merchant navy for the past six years.

His father runs a medical store in the city. According to the family, Manish completed his training at a merchant navy institute in Mumbai before joining international shipping assignments, reported Indian Express.

The family said he regularly stayed in touch through video calls and often contacted them daily while travelling at sea. Santosh said his son had returned home in January this year for a short break with the family before leaving again on April 16 for another assignment.

According to the family, Manish travelled from Paris for a voyage linked to the United States assignment.

His father said the sudden silence has left the family deeply worried because Manish always stayed connected during his work trips. “That steady contact suddenly stopped,” Santosh said.

The family has spent the past several days approaching officials and public representatives for help.

Santosh said he first met local MP and Union minister Anupriya Patel in Delhi on May 11 to seek assistance in tracing his son.

Santosh again met Patel on Sunday morning and requested intervention through all possible government channels. “Today morning, I met local MP and Union minister Anupriya Patel,” Santosh said. “She assured me that every possible effort is being made to trace my son, and that communication has already been established with the Ministry of External Affairs as well as the Indian embassy in the United States,” he added.