The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board resumed its search for the voyage data recorder or “black box” from the El Faro on Monday.
In a statement on Sunday, NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson said this second search will also involve more documentation of the wreckage.
Crews from the National Science Foundation and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution are expected to be at the wreckage site for 10 days. They will return on May 5.
A search area of approximately 35 square kilometers (13.5 square miles) will be photo- and video-documented by Sentry, an autonomous underwater vehicle that will be launched from the research vessel Atlantis, which is owned by the U.S. Navy and operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). Sentry can work at depths of nearly 20,000 feet and can be equipped with a wide array of sonar, camera and other sensors.
The El Faro sank in a hurricane October 1, 2015, after losing propulsion near the Bahamas on its way from Jacksonville to San Juan, Puerto Rico. All 33 on board died.
Click here for the full report by The Maritime Executive.
