The US National Transportation Safety Board has begun a second expedition to search for evidence in its investigation of the loss of the cargo ship 'El Faro', which sank in the Atlantic during a hurricane on October 1, 2015.
A key objective of the mission, which is expected to begin in April and last about two weeks, is to locate the voyage data recorder (VDR) and to provide investigators with a more extensive and detailed survey of the shipwreck. The VDR could contain valuable recordings of conversations held on the navigation bridge, helping the investigators establish a time line of the sinking.
The 240-metre ship was located in about 5,000 metres of water near the Bahamas on October 31, 2015. Over the next few weeks the ship and the debris field were documented with a video camera mounted on a remotely operated vehicle.
The second expedition will create a search area of approximately 35 square kilometres will be photo- and video-documented by 'Sentry', an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) that will be launched from the research vessel 'Atlantis'.
If the VDR is located, another mission using a remotely operated vehicle capable of recovering the recorder will be initiated.
