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NTSB says it will determine causes of the El Faro sinking at a meeting in December

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says it should determine the causes of the El Faro cargo ship sinking at a meeting in Washington D.C. on December 12 this year.

At the same public meeting, the NTSB will vote on recommendations arising out of safety issues that came out of the investigation.

El Faro sank on October 1, 2015 when it was caught in Hurricane Joaquin while off the Bahamas. All 33 crew members were lost. None of their bodies were recovered.

The 790-foot, US-flagged ship had been on a route from Jacksonville, Florida, to San Juan, Puerto Rico, with a cargo that included cars.

Wreckage of the vessel, broken into two main parts, was discovered on the ocean floor on October 31, 2015.

Its voyage data recorder (VDR) was located in April 2016 and that device, containing important information and audio recordings from the fateful journey, was retrieved in August of the same year.

NTSB’s investigation started as soon as the sinking was confirmed.

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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