Coast Guard Issues Final Report on El Faro Sinking

This undated image made from a video and released Tuesday, April 26, 2016, by the National Transportation Safety Board shows the stern of the sunken ship El Faro. (National Transportation Safety Board via AP)

WASHINGTON — The Coast Guard on Friday released the Final Action Memo regarding the loss of the S.S. El Faro and its 33 crewmembers during a 2015 hurricane near Crooked Island, Bahamas.
Massachusetts Maritime Academy graduates Keith Griffin and Jeffrey Mathias were among those killed.
In the document, Commandant of the Coast Guard, Adm. Paul Zukunft, approved the findings of fact, analysis, and conclusions detailed in the Marine Board of Investigation’s Report of Investigation, essentially marking it as the official Coast Guard position on the cause of the marine casualty.
Zukunft concluded that the primary cause of the casualty was the decision to navigate El Faro too close to the path of Hurricane Joaquin.
Contributing factors include: (1) an ineffective safety management system within the operating company, TOTE Services, Incorporated; (2) American Bureau of Shipping’s failures to uncover or otherwise resolve longstanding deficiencies that adversely affected the safety and seaworthiness of vessels on multiple occasions; and (3) failure of the Coast Guard to adequately oversee the third party in this case.
The investigation also revealed that the Coast Guard has not sustained the proficiency and policy framework to do so in general.
“The loss of the El Faro and its crewmembers was tragic and preventable. The Coast Guard will take appropriate action on all that we have learned from this investigation,” said Zukunft.
“I thank the members of the Marine Board of Investigation for their exhaustive work and independent recommendations. El Faro’s heartbreaking story points to the need for all maritime stakeholders to zealously recommit to both the safety of our mariners and to professionalism of the maritime industry.”
The Final Action Memo also outlines the final agency actions that will be taken in response to the Board’s recommendations.
Rear Adm. John Nadeau, the assistant commandant for prevention policy, will lead the Commandant’s efforts in response to the recommendations.
“The tragic story of the El Faro points to the need for a strong and enduring commitment from all elements of the safety framework: vessel owner, Authorized Class Society, and the Coast Guard,” said Nadeau.
“As the lead agency of the U.S. Flag Administration, the Coast Guard is ultimately responsible to monitor the performance of third party organizations entrusted with the safety of U.S. ships. The Coast Guard takes the implementation of the safety recommendations in the Commandant’s Final Action Memo very seriously and is committed to providing sustainable policy, oversight, and accountability both internally and externally.”
The report concludes a 2-year investigation into the worst U.S. maritime disaster in modern history.
The NTSB 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.
“I hope that this tragedy at sea can serve as a lighthouse to guide the safety of marine transportation,” said Robert Sumwalt, the board’s chairman.

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