They said Davidson was in regular communication before the storm with the company, which can override a captain’s decisions. The cargo ship reportedly lost power while trying to avoid the path of the hurricane, the Sun Journal reported.
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“As we understand it, there was a type of radio communication and he did indicate there were a few engine issues”, Dinh-Zarr says. So, we (will) leave no stone unturned in our investigation and our analysis. He offered a pray for their families to find comfort. I think he had a few positive inspiration for the people that he worked next to. I wish we did.
Out of respect for our seafarers, and for every seafarer here and around the world, it is critical that we understand what contributed to this accident. Was the ship’s advanced age – more than 40 years old – a factor?
Still, he and the others were stunned the ship left while there was a big storm in its potential path. “The drainage didn’t work well on the ship”. They believe there should still be hope, even though the National Transportation Safety Board now says there were no survivors.
The El Faro departed Jacksonville, Fla., and was en route to Puerto Rico when it ran straight into Hurricane Joaquin. It was to sail to San Jose, Puerto Rico. It did not have a history of engine problems. The Coast Guard determines the El Faro sank. TOTE assets find a container that came from the ship. “He was probably one of the strongest engineers of the class that we graduated with”.
While everything on the ship was old, everyone felt safe, Hearman said. Did pressure to deliver the cargo on time play a role in the captain’s decision to press ahead?
An intensive air-and-sea search has found the remains of only one person, in a survival suit. They do believe the ship went down in an area almost 15,000 feet deep. It said it was about 35 nautical miles northeast of the Bahamas.
“We’re optimistic”, he said. “It’s just a dire situation”, he said. One unidentified body of a crew member was found over the weekend.
Earlier, federal investigators said they still hoped to recover a data recorder from the ship. The NTSB sent a team to Jacksonville on Tuesday to begin the agency’s inquiry. Its batteries can last for a month.
The 225-metre El Faro was carrying 391 containers in addition to 294 trailers and cars below deck when it disappeared. It said each lifeboat could hold 43 people and had food and water. “Our prayers and thoughts go out to the family members and we will continue to offer support during this hard time”, read the statement.
The hurricane at that point was a Category 4, with winds in excess of 120 miles per hour churning 50-foot waves.
“Our community will grieve this together”, he said. The company has defended the decision as a reasoned judgment call based on the experience and calculations of a seasoned captain.
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A man who had been a friend of the captain since childhood said Captain Davidson was a very good sailor.
