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| Rescue crews find life jackets in search for ship missing after hurricane Joaquin | |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| Life jackets, containers and an oil sheen were spotted by US coast guard aircrews on Sunday, the third day of the search for the cargo ship El Faro and its 33 mostly American crew members after it went missing in the eye of hurricane Joaquin. | |
| Related: US resumes search for hurricane-battered cargo ship in Bahamas | |
| The coast guard could not confirm that the objects belonged to the El Faro, which sent a distress call on Thursday in the Bahamas but has not been heard from since. | |
| “The debris is scattered about over several miles,” said Chief Petty Officer Ryan Doss with the Miami station. “It’s going to take some time to verify. The items would appear to be consistent with the missing ship.” | |
| Earlier, search and rescue crews found three life rings in waters to the north-east of Crooked Island in the Bahamas, about 75 miles from the ship’s last known position, the coast guard said. The coast guard confirmed that one of the life rings was from the El Faro. | |
| “Because we found a life ring doesn’t tell us anything more than that we are searching in the right area,” said Petty Officer Bobby Nash. | “Because we found a life ring doesn’t tell us anything more than that we are searching in the right area,” said Petty Officer Bobby Nash. |
| The coast guard and US air force sent out four C-130 search and rescue planes at dawn on Sunday, and at least one coast guard ship was headed to the area, Nash said. | The coast guard and US air force sent out four C-130 search and rescue planes at dawn on Sunday, and at least one coast guard ship was headed to the area, Nash said. |
| Conditions on Saturday hampered search efforts, with 20ft to 40ft seas and winds in excess of 115mph, the coast guard said. In video released by the coast guard, one pilot said visibility was less than a quarter of a mile while flying low at 1,000ft. | Conditions on Saturday hampered search efforts, with 20ft to 40ft seas and winds in excess of 115mph, the coast guard said. In video released by the coast guard, one pilot said visibility was less than a quarter of a mile while flying low at 1,000ft. |
| “This was the most challenging weather conditions anyone on our crew had ever flown,” said coast guard pilot Lieutenant Dustin Burton after returning on Saturday from his mission. | “This was the most challenging weather conditions anyone on our crew had ever flown,” said coast guard pilot Lieutenant Dustin Burton after returning on Saturday from his mission. |
| El Faro, a 735ft container ship with 28 US citizens and five Polish nationals aboard, was headed to San Juan, Puerto Rico, from Jacksonville, Florida when it reported losing propulsion and that it was listing and taking on water, the coast guard said. The ship’s loss of propulsion would make it extremely vulnerable in high seas, Nash said. | El Faro, a 735ft container ship with 28 US citizens and five Polish nationals aboard, was headed to San Juan, Puerto Rico, from Jacksonville, Florida when it reported losing propulsion and that it was listing and taking on water, the coast guard said. The ship’s loss of propulsion would make it extremely vulnerable in high seas, Nash said. |
| “You are certainly at the mercy of the weather at that point. You want to point into the waves; that way it’s not crashing over the sides,” he said. | “You are certainly at the mercy of the weather at that point. You want to point into the waves; that way it’s not crashing over the sides,” he said. |
| As contact with the ship was lost, it was not known whether the ship was able to recover propulsion. | As contact with the ship was lost, it was not known whether the ship was able to recover propulsion. |
| There were no further communications after a distress call received at about 7.30am on Thursday, the coast guard said. The search-and-rescue efforts have covered more than 30,000 square miles since then. | There were no further communications after a distress call received at about 7.30am on Thursday, the coast guard said. The search-and-rescue efforts have covered more than 30,000 square miles since then. |
| “We are very surprised that we lost all communication with the ship,” said Mike Hanson, a spokesman for El Faro’s owner, Tote Maritime Puerto Rico. The ship was equipped with an onboard transponder as well as a satellite phone and GPS devices on the containers, he said. | “We are very surprised that we lost all communication with the ship,” said Mike Hanson, a spokesman for El Faro’s owner, Tote Maritime Puerto Rico. The ship was equipped with an onboard transponder as well as a satellite phone and GPS devices on the containers, he said. |
| “The ship was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Hanson added, saying Joaquin was just a tropical storm when El Faro set out from Jacksonville but later intensified rapidly into a major hurricane. | “The ship was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Hanson added, saying Joaquin was just a tropical storm when El Faro set out from Jacksonville but later intensified rapidly into a major hurricane. |
| The storm battered the central Bahamas archipelago for more than two days with 130mph winds, a potentially catastrophic category four hurricane on a scale of one to five. | The storm battered the central Bahamas archipelago for more than two days with 130mph winds, a potentially catastrophic category four hurricane on a scale of one to five. |
| At 8am on Sunday, Joaquin continued to weaken over cooler waters, the US National Hurricane Center said, with maximum sustained winds of 115mph, down from around 130mph. | At 8am on Sunday, Joaquin continued to weaken over cooler waters, the US National Hurricane Center said, with maximum sustained winds of 115mph, down from around 130mph. |