Home » Blog » Personal Injury » Questions Raised About Why Cargo Ship El Faro Set Sail While Hurricane Joaquin Loomed
Questions Raised About Why Cargo Ship El Faro Set Sail While Hurricane Joaquin Loomed
Oct6
Posted by The Law Firm of Pajcic & Pajcic in Personal Injury
Our Jacksonville community waits patiently for updates regarding the fate of El Faro, a Jacksonville-based cargo ship lost days ago during a hurricane. There were 33 crew members, most from Jacksonville. Others on board were from Maine and Poland.
The Coast Guard concluded that El Faro sank en route from Jacksonville to Puerto Rico when it encountered Hurricane Joaquin last Thursday. There have been signs of survival suits in the 225 square mile debris field. One of those suits carried unidentified human remains, according to the searchers.
Questions exist about why the 790-foot ship set sail with a storm looming. The technology today should have given enough indication of the potential dangers in the waters. Some family members of the crew on board told various news outlets that they questioned why they left port heading into what was then a tropical storm.
The president of TOTE, the company that owns the cargo ship, told reporters that the boat’s captain felt the conditions were favorable and “was very confident the ship was doing well, the crew was quite up to date.” The last contact with the ship was while Joaquin was considered a category 4 storm with winds in excess of 130 miles per hour.
A Coast Guard spokesperson said they are no longer looking for the ship but continue in a search and rescue mode. They do expect the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved, especially the families who wait for word regarding their loved ones.
Our Jacksonville community waits patiently for updates regarding the fate of El Faro, a Jacksonville-based cargo ship lost days ago during a hurricane. There were 33 crew members, most from Jacksonville. Others on board were from Maine and Poland.
The Coast Guard concluded that El Faro sank en route from Jacksonville to Puerto Rico when it encountered Hurricane Joaquin last Thursday. There have been signs of survival suits in the 225 square mile debris field. One of those suits carried unidentified human remains, according to the searchers.
Questions exist about why the 790-foot ship set sail with a storm looming. The technology today should have given enough indication of the potential dangers in the waters. Some family members of the crew on board told various news outlets that they questioned why they left port heading into what was then a tropical storm.
The president of TOTE, the company that owns the cargo ship, told reporters that the boat’s captain felt the conditions were favorable and “was very confident the ship was doing well, the crew was quite up to date.” The last contact with the ship was while Joaquin was considered a category 4 storm with winds in excess of 130 miles per hour.
A Coast Guard spokesperson said they are no longer looking for the ship but continue in a search and rescue mode. They do expect the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved, especially the families who wait for word regarding their loved ones.