JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A series of Coast Guard hearings starting Tuesday will seek answers about why the 790-foot freighter El Faro sank near the Bahamas last fall, killing all 33 crew members in the worst US commercial maritime disaster in decades.
The hearings in Jacksonville are expected to probe many questions, chief among them whether misconduct, negligence, or shoddy safety inspections contributed to the El Faro’s demise.
The El Faro set sail from Jacksonville to Puerto Rico on Sept. 29 as a powerful storm that would become Hurricane Joaquin churned offshore.
The ship’s captain, Michael Davidson, attempted to outrun the storm but lost engine power and control of the ship.
The storm overtook the aged vessel; its remains were later discovered 15,000 feet deep in Atlantic waters. The ship’s navigation tower had detached, and there was a breach in its hull.
A number of the crew member families have filed lawsuits against TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico, the ship’s owner. The suits charge the company with negligence and say officials knew the 41-year-old ship was due to be taken out of service and should never have been allowed to sail into the path of a hurricane.
The company has refused to comment on the allegations, citing the ongoing legal cases.