USCG Schedules El Faro Board of Investigation

The USCG has set the date for public hearings into the loss of the ro/ro El Faro. From February 16 to 26 at the Prime Osborn Convention Center in Jacksonville, Florida, the Coast Guard panel will consider evidence regarding pre-accident events, her regulatory compliance record, crewmember qualifications, past operations and the USCG SAR response.

The Board will seek to determine the following, as closely as is possible: the factors that contributed to the accident; whether there is evidence that any act of misconduct, inattention to duty, negligence or willful violation of the law on the part of any licensed or certificated person contributed to the casualty; and whether there is evidence that any Coast Guard personnel or any representative or employee of any other government agency or any other person caused or contributed to the casualty.

A second session, as yet unscheduled, will focus on the circumstances of her final voyage, including cargo loading, weather conditions and navigation. The board may have to conduct this portion of its investigation without the benefit of her voyage data recorder (VDR), which was not found in the now-finished search of her wreck site; however, earlier this month, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) lead investigator Tom Roth-Roffy said that the agency may decide to renew its search for the missing VDR.

The NTSB, which is conducting its own investigation, will also participate in the USCG hearings.

In related news, TOTE Maritime, the operator of the El Faro, announced Monday that it has reached a settlement agreement with 10 families of missing crewmembers, for a sum of $500,000 each.

"Since the loss of the El Faro, we have focused every effort on supporting the families of those on board. An important part of this support has entailed reaching fair and swift legal settlements for those who may choose them," TOTE said in a statement.

The U.S.-flagged ship went missing on October 1 during Hurricane Joaquin. It sank in about 15,000 feet of water in the vicinity of its last known position near Crooked Island, Bahamas. Twenty-eight U.S. crewmembers and five Polish workers were on board.