The day started with a moment of silence for the 33 lives lost when to El Faro went down, but some quiet sobs could still be heard among the families in the crowd.
GALLERY: El Faro crew
The Coast Guard has convened a Marine Board of Investigation on the sinking of El Faro. The three man panel and the NTSB's chief investigator worked through the day, questioning a senior TOTE Services executive on the leadership structure of the company- which is a complex web that includes TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico, which itself used to be Sea Star Line, LLC.
Focus then moved instead to the El Faro’s 40-year history, and whether the company gave the Captain the needed authority to adjust the ship’s route as needed.
GALLERY: NTSB finds wreckage of El Faro
TOTE Services Vice President of Commercial Maritime Operations Philip Morrell said the ship actually served a substantial amount of time on Alaskan trade, before then working military cargo and being converted in 2006 for the Jacksonville-San Juan, Puerto Rico route. While on this final voyage, the ship was undergoing work to convert once again back to Alaskan trade, where Morrell says it would be used for a few months and then laid up until 2017, when it would be used for a few months once again. There was not much of a specific designated purposed for El Faro, but TOTE hoped there would be demand in the future.
Morrell could not answer, when questioned, on why the ship was still in service, despite its age, saying he didn't have good insight. He further confirmed what we've previously reported- that the El Faro's boilers were going to be worked on in an upcoming dry dock. He told investigators that TOTE places a high priority on safety, and while older ships may need more maintenance, they are still safe to run.
When asked about the company’s hurricane plan, Morrell said he was aware of it but couldn’t speak to it. He later clarified the plan deals with terminal operations, not ships themselves. TOTE had sent out an alert to ships with Hurricane Danny earlier in the 2015 Atlantic season, which Morrell says was supposed to serve as a general warning that the hurricane season had started. They did not send any specific alert because of Hurricane Joaquin, which was a Category 4 when it encountered El Faro.
In fact, one Board member pointed out that they found lengthy communication among TOTE executives regarding both Danny and Tropical Storm Erika, but almost nothing relating to Joaquin.
The Coast Guard says the El Faro has previously taken less efficient routes because of bad weather. Specifically, during Erika just a few weeks prior, the El Faro went further west than the typical route. On the voyage in question, however, El Faro's route was close to the one it most often takes. The Captain aimed to stay 65 miles from the eye of the storm, which he described as "erratic".
DOCUMENTS: Coast Guard exhibits for Marine Board of Investigation
DOCUMENTS: More Coast Guard exhibits for Marine Board of Investigation
Morrell says the ship’s Master is able to change a route without asking permission from the company, and if that led to delays, they would deal with it.
One of the panelists pointed out an email from El Faro Captain Michael Davidson on September 30th, which said “question” and appeared to ask whether he could shift the route on the way back to Jacksonville from Puerto Rico, adding about 160 nautical miles. Morrell says Davidson was not required to ask, and he interpreted the email more as the required notice to the company about the change than a request for permission.
Another executive did send Davidson an acknowledgement email in response five hours later.
Morrell says TOTE has now implemented a fleet-wide system to track location and weather service. He confirmed they brought on the system because of the El Faro sinking, but disputed that it’s meant to address any “deficiency” in how the company was operating.
WOKV is at the Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation hearing. You can get instant updates on Twitter.
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