TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The search continued on Wednesday for an Air Force F-16 pilot who ejected over the ocean during a routine training mission, as winds and waves hampered rescue efforts, per CNA.

The pilot, surnamed Hsin (辛), ejected from a single-seat F-16 fighter jet at about 7:29 p.m. Tuesday, according to a Ministry of National Defense press release.

A search and rescue operation running through the night involved three ships and six vessels from the Navy and Coast Guard, as well as helicopter support from the National Airborne Service Corps. Hsin had not been found as of Wednesday morning.

The ministry said the aircraft took off from Hualien Air Base at 6:17 p.m., and Hsin is believed to have ejected about 18.5 kilometers east of Fengbin Township in Hualien County.

The Coast Guard Administration said two patrol boats arrived at the scene and deployed self-locating datum marker buoys and a search and rescue priority planning system to predict drifting currents and adjust vessel deployment.

Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday evening that the marker buoys would guide rescue efforts, expressing hope that rescuers could quickly determine current patterns and locate the missing pilot.

The Coast Guard also expanded the search area and contacted the Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship Harmony Ocean, located about 18.5 kilometers from the site, to assist with lookout duties. The Fisheries Agency has also been asked to notify nearby fishing vessels to aid in the search.