For the first time since the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill in 2010, the Coast Guard is convening a Marine Board of Investigation- this time, investigators will examine the sinking of El Faro.
The public hearings will take place in Jacksonville beginning Tuesday, February 16th and continuing as needed through Friday, February 26th. The hearings seek to determine not just what contributed to the sinking, but any material failures, evidence of misconduct or negligence, and whether any person was involved as well.
Those findings can ultimately be used to make corrective action in an effort to prevent something like this from happening again.
FULL COVERAGE: El Faro sinking
The hearing kicks off just days after the NTSB announced they would begin a second search for the El Faro's Voyage Data Recorder- or black box- in April. While investigators were able to find the shipwreck 15,000 feet underwater, the VDR itself wasn't located with the wreckage and wasn't recovered by the time the NTSB called off the search in mid-November.
GALLERY: NTSB photos from El Faro investigation
The NTSB believes the VDR could provide important details of the final moments on the vessel before it went down, because it is designed to record sound from the bridge. During the El Faro's last transmission, they reported losing propulsion and taking on water as well as a breach in the hull. The ship then encountered Category 4 Hurricane Joaquin and sank. It was traveling between Jacksonville and Puerto Rico with several hundred containers on board.
VIDEO: El Faro underwater wreckage
The Coast Guard, Navy, Air Force, Air National Guard, and private tugboat crews combed more than 183,000 square nautical miles in their weeklong search. Crews found life rings, a capsized life boat, and other debris. The Coast Guard was also able to find one body in a survival suit, but the remains were not recovered because of the active search for potential survivors. All 33 people on board are presumed dead.
GALLERY: El Faro crew
While the NTSB will participate in this MBOI, they are still conducting their own investigation as well.
Representatives with the ship’s owner, Sea Star Line, LLC; operator, TOTE Maritime; the Coast Guard; and others are scheduled to speak in this session of the MBOI. It will focus on “pre-accident historical events relating to the loss, the regulatory compliance record of the El Faro, crewmember duties and qualifications, past operations of the vessel and the Coast Guard’s Search and Rescue operations,” according to a release from the Coast Guard. A second MBOI hearing session will be scheduled for a later date that will look at the accident voyage, weather conditions, and more.
WOKV will be following every minute of the MBOI hearings. Follow our reporter Stephanie Brown on Twitter for information as it comes in and get frequent updates on air at 104.5 FM.
