El Faro Hurricane Joaquin News Update: Owners Believe Captain Wanted to Avoid Joaquin
While the reason for El Faro's mysterious power loss is still unclear, owners of the 40-year-old cargo ship that was believed to have sunk in the wake of Hurricane Joaquin say the captain was planning to avoid the winds and rains, but the ship's main propulsion malfunctioned due to loss of power.
TOTE Services President Phil Greene told reporters that the unidentified captain had the proper weather information needed when he left Jacksonville and even reported that weather conditions were fine at the time.
With knowledge of the weather system, the captain had a "sound plan that would have enabled him to clearly pass around the storm with a margin of comfort that was adequate in his professional opinion."
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According to NBC News, Greene also insisted amid doubts from some that the cargo ship's crew was working on getting the boat to a new route and the maintenance that had to be laid out in the middle of Joaquin's eye was not an engine-related problem, nor an issue about the ship's age and speed.
TOTE officials said they have been cooperating with the investigation as the U.S. Coast Guard continued to search for possible survivors after one body in a survival suit and a battered life boat was found during the search. However, the officials are fending off questions about the possible factors of age, speed, and engine problems that could have led to the tragedy and left the boat stranded in the middle of the storm.
The El Faro carried 28 Americans and 5 Polish nationals when it sank last week. It set out for a four-day trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico, when it suddenly disappeared in an area near the Bahamas that was battered by Hurricane Joaquin.
Meanwhile, CNN reports that the biggest question that has left TOTE officials speechless is why El Faro was allowed to set out for its scheduled route despite knowing that a potential hurricane was brewing somewhere on its path.
