AmericasOperations

Wreckage detected, believed to be that of El Faro, says NTSB

Wreckage has been detected that is believed to be that of the lost cargo ship El Faro, according to the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Saturday.

The 790-foot container vessel was en route from Jacksonville, Florida to San Juan, Puerto Rico with a cargo of cars when it was caught in Hurricane Joaquin east of the Bahamas on October 1 and all contact was lost. Its final communication revealed the ship to have lost power. The crew of 33 are presumed dead.

US Navy Ship Apache has been searching for the ship since Friday October 23 in the area surmised to be where the ship went down and it has been using side-scan sonar technology in that quest since Tuesday October 27.

The NTSB’s statement said that the identity of the wreckage would have to be confirmed using a deep ocean remotely operated vehicle called CURV 21, which has video equipment.

Donal Scully

With 28 years experience writing and editing for newspapers in the UK and Hong Kong, Donal is now based in California from where he covers the Americas for Splash as well as ensuring the site is loaded through the Western Hemisphere timezone.
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