NTSB El Faro probe highlights maritime safety issues
While fateful decisions made by the captain of the doomed freighter El Faro were instrumental in the ship’s sinking, federal investigators spread plenty of blame around and highlighted multiple safety issues in the maritime industry that contributed to its demise.
It was a confluence of factors that contributed to the sinking of the El Faro in the fury of Hurricane Joaquin on Oct. 1, 2015, which killed all 33 people on board, the National Transportation Safety Board announced. The report concluded a 2-year investigation into the worst U.S. maritime disaster in modern history.
Among its findings the NTSB cited Tuesday the El Faro captain’s unwillingness to listen to his crew’s suggestions to change course from the path of a raging hurricane; a weak corporate safety culture that left crewmembers ill-prepared to deal with heavy weather. It also blamed an old ship with outdated lifeboats, open to the elements and a vessel inspection system that allowed older ships in poor condition to continue operating.
The board issued 53 safety recommendations, which investigators hope will be adopted by the industry, maritime safety inspectors and weather forecasters to make the seas safer for future generations.