Wreckage that was detected on Saturday was confirmed on Monday to be that of the lost cargo ship El Faro.
The US National Transportation Safety Board said on Monday that the vessel was found at the bottom of the ocean off the Bahamas, about 15,000 feet down. It was upright and apparently intact.
After the US Navy ship Apache detected the wreckage a remotely operated vehicle equipped with a video camera was used to survey and identify the vessel.
The search is ongoing, however, as authorities want to locate the ship’s black box, which might offer clues as to what went wrong aboard the vessel.
El Faro was carrying a cargo of cars from Jacksonville, Florida to San Juan, Puerto Rico when it ran into trouble in Hurricane Joaquin on October 1. Its last communication with the US Coast Guard had the ship east of the Bahamas and without engine power.
All 33 members of the crew were lost. Several families of the crew have filed lawsuits with the ship’s owners Tote.
