The US Coast Guard will hold its third round of hearings into the sinking of El Faro this winder, ensuring that the probe will last more than a year after the ship went down.
The agency said today that the final hearing session will examine information collected from the voyage data recorder (VDR).
The Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) hearing will likely mark the end of the fact-finding phase of the probe into loss of the 5,330-lane-metre conro El Faro (built 1975), whose sinking during Hurricane Joaquin cost 33 lives.
The board’s inquiry will then shift to the analysis phase, which will be independent of the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation into the incident.
“When the MBI completes its report of investigation they will submit it to the commandant of the Coast Guard,” the Coast Guard said.
“After the commandant reviews the report and makes his final determinations on any safety recommendations, it will be made public.”
The VDR was retrieved last month from the bottom of the Atlantic off the Bahamas.
