The El Faro’s sinking is the deadliest USA shipping disaster since 1983, when a bulk carrier sank off the coast of Virginia, killing 31 crew members and prompting major changes in shipping safety standards and water rescue techniques.
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Six days after communication was lost with the El Faro cargo ship as it drifted into the path of Hurricane Joaquin, the U.S. Coast Guard ended the search for survivors.
The Coast Guard and NTSB scheduled a press conference for later Wednesday.
Robert Green, whose daughter, LaShawn Rivera, is among the missing, said he remains optimistic despite the Coast Guard’s decision. “Miracles do happen, and it’s God’s way only”. “I hope the families can take a few measure of peace from that”.
One debris field is located about 88 nautical miles northeast of Samana Cay and the second is at the site of the last known location of the El Faro, which disappeared after the 790-foot ship had a mechanical failure as it was sailing into heavy seas churned up by Hurricane Joaquin.
NTSB Vice Chair Bella Dinh-Zarr said investigators will review all communications and navigation emissions from the El Faro.
“Today we were looking for something pretty specific. May they be comforted, in a few small way, in knowing that they have the love and support of their neighbors, the merchant mariner community and the American people”, Obama said in a statement.
But the VDR, which begins pinging when it gets wet and has a 30-day battery life, is believed to be 15,000 feet below the waves, that’s a half a mile deeper thatn the wreck of the Titanic.
All of that will be part of the investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The El Faro left Jacksonville, Florida, for Puerto Rico on September 29, when Joaquin was a tropical storm.
The ship is believed to have sunk in waters that are 15,000 feet deep. One unidentified body has been found.
Complicating matters, the cargo ship was outfitted with older lifeboats which are not enclosed, the source close to the investigation said. El Faro was carrying 28 US crew members and five Polish contractors when it set out from Jacksonville. He gave no details on the nature of their work.
Tote officials said they trust the company’s captains to be the decision makers, and that up until El Faro lost its propulsion, the reports were not alarming. I’m sorry for that. “I wish we did”, Anthony Chiarello, said Tote Inc.’s president and CEO. “So we find ourselves enduring ourselves to the maximum endurance and that goes for everything”.
Barry Young, whose nephew LeShawn Riviera, 32, was one of the crew, said he hoped the investigation would lead to better safeguards for all mariners.
The company says it did not pressure the captain to ignore the storm to deliver cargo on time. And there are other major, unanswered questions about what happened to El Faro before it sank. The captain reported the ship was listing and taking on water through an open hatch.
Tote said Captain Davidson communicated regularly with company officials before the storm worsened.
Maine Maritime Academy students attend a vigil of hope for the…
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Nick Mavadones, a childhood friend and former colleague of Capt Davidson’s, said he “took his job seriously”.
