Bridge tape records final minutes of wrecked El Faro

WASHINGTON: The captain of US container ship El Faro gave an abandon- ship order just minutes before it sank in a hurricane off the Bahamas with the loss of all 33 people on board.

A recording made on the bridge on the morning of October 1, 2015, cuts out 10 minutes after the evacuation order, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Wednesday.

The SS El Faro was carrying cargo from Jacksonville, Florida, to Puerto Rico when it was caught up in Hurricane Joaquin, and began to list and take on water.

Investigations into the cause of the deadly wreck are continuing, but the NTSB said the bridge recording – recovered from the ocean floor earlier this month – contains clues.

“The vessel's loss of propulsion was mentioned on the bridge audio about 6.13am,” a statement said.

“Also captured was the master speaking on the telephone, notifying shoreside personnel of the vessel's critical situation and preparing to abandon ship if necessary.

“The master ordered abandon ship and sounded the alarm about 7.30am ... The recording ended about 10 minutes later when the El Faro was about 39 nautical miles northeast of Crooked Island, Bahamas.”

The 240-metre El Faro had been in operation for four decades. Most of the 33 crew that died in the wreck were Americans or Poles.

So far, just one of them has been found, said guard spokeswoman Katie Braynard.

“Only one crew member from the El Faro has been located to date. The crew member was deceased and floating in a survival suit in the vicinity of where (it) sank,” she said. But “Coast Guard search and rescue assets were unable to recover or identify the remains of the deceased member,” she added. — AFP