A boat that went missing last summer with two Florida teenagers aboard has been found off the coast of Bermuda.

Fourteen-year-olds Perry Cohen and Austin Stephanos set sail last July 24 from the Jib Yacht Club and Marina in Tequesta, Palm Beach County. Their vessel was hit by a bout of severe weather.

On Saturday, the US Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed that the remains of Stephanos’s Seacraft boat had been found on March 18 by Norwegian supply ship Edda Fjord.

After pulling the 19ft capsized vessel from the ocean via crane, crew members on the Edda Fjord found that it still contained several personal items belonging to the boys, including Stephanos’s iPhone, two tackle boxes and two fishing rods.

The wreckage, which was discovered in the middle of a shipping lane about 100 miles off the Bermudian coast, was also identified via a marine supply store sticker and engine serial number.

Mark Barney, petty officer for the Miami Coast Guard, told The Royal Gazette that the search for the missing teenagers remained suspended, and that more information would be needed for the case to be reopened. A spokesperson for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the boat, now in Norway, would be returned to the US on May 16.

“The personal effects that were on board will be returned to the families of the victims, and subsequent information retrieval efforts from any of those items will be at their discretion,” the spokesperson added.

Blu Stephanos, the father of Austin Stephanos, confirmed in a statement that the boat in question belonged to his son.

He also expressed his appreciation to Havard Melvaer, captain of the Edda Fjord, for his efforts in recovering the vessel and preserving its contents.

Mr Stephanos added: “Captain Melvaer said that, since recovering the boat, his entire crew had thought a lot about the boys and said, ‘I think they will follow us in our hearts and minds for the rest of our lives’.

“I can say without hesitation that our deep appreciation for the compassionate efforts of Captain Melvaer and the crew of the Edda Fjord will be something that remains in our hearts as well.

“At this point, our family is hoping and praying that Austin’s iPhone can be restored to working order, so that we can try to recover from it any precious memories that it might contain.”

A duty officer from the Bermuda Maritime Operations Centre said that the BMOC was aware of the retrieval of the vessel last month, but had no involvement in the incident.