By MOLLY DRYMAN

Staff Reporter

RESERVE — The St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office received a call early Tuesday morning in reference to a body found by the river bank in Reserve.

Maj. Mike Tregre, spokesman for the St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office, said the body was found at 5:53 a.m. near Marathon Dock number three, located at 2440 LA Hwy 44 in Reserve.

&#8220It is believed that the body found matches the description of a person who jumped off a ship in St. James,” said Tregre. &#8220We have notified the St. James Parish Sheriff’s Office, and they are handling the rest.”

Capt. Sid Berthelot, spokesman for the St. James Parish Sheriff’s Office, said the body is believed to be Olekfandr Kobets, 21, of Odessa, Ukraine.

&#8220Kobets was a shipmate working here from the Ukraine,” Berthelot said. &#8220According to submitted reports, on March 29, Kobets was on the ship, MV Amazonia, which was docked at Gramercy Alumina, and he apparently jumped ship into the water and swam out into the river.”

Berthelot said they do not know why he jumped, but that when he did, other workers on the ship were throwing life preservers to him, and he pushed them out of the way and started going under.

&#8220The Coast Guard was contacted, and they responded,” said Berthelot.

&#8220Even though we believe it’s him, a positive identification has not been determined by the coroner. It may take a while, considering the body was in the water for so long.”