The US National Transportation Board (NTSB) announced on Thursday it will make another attempt to find the Voyage Data Recorder (VDR) of the El Faro cargo ship, which sank with the loss of all 33 crew members off the Bahamas on October 1 last year.
The 790-foot US-flagged El Faro, which had been carrying a load of cars from Jacksonville, Florida to San Juan Puerto Rico, was caught in Hurricane Joaquin and lost power.
The wreck was found on October 31 at a depth of 15,000 feet with the navigation bridge section detached from the rest of the vessel.
Remote video and other equipment used in the search failed to come up with the VDR, which if found, should give investigators a clearer picture of how the tragedy happened.
The new search will be launched in April (exact date to be determined) and should last two weeks.
This time an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) called Sentry will be used in the search, employing cameras, sonar and other sensors. It will be launched from the US Navy’s research ship Atlantis.
The public Marine Board of Investigation hearings into the loss of El Faro are set to begin on Tuesday (February 16) in Jacksonville.
