MIAMI, Oct. 3 (UPI) — The U.S. Coast Guard will continue its search early Saturday for a cargo ship with 33 crew, 28 of them Americans, that may have been overcome in Hurricane Joaquin.
The El Faro, a 735-foot cargo ship, was traveling to San Juan, Puerto Rico, from Jacksonville, Fla., when the Coast Guard learned the ship was being battered by the Category 3 hurricane, lost propulsion and was on a 15-degree list.
The ship, which also had five Polish nationals, went missing near Crooked Island, Bahamas, located on the southeast corner of the island chain. Crooked Island sat at the center of the storm for much of its two-day assault that brought up to 30-foot waves, causing flooding and extensive damage. There is no electricity or phone communication in much of the area. Leslie Miller, executive chairman of the Bahamas Electricity Corporation, said the company “is in no position to do much” to restore electricity. “All the airports are flooded,” he said.
As of 5 a.m. Saturday, the storm, with 125 mph winds, was beginning to shift away from the Bahamas and was continuing its track away from the United States. A hurricane watch has been issued for Bermuda.
Friday, the Coast Guard launched an HC-130 Hercules airplane out of Clearwater, Fla., an MH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter from Great Inagua, Bahamas, and the cutter Northland in the search for El Faro, covering about 850 square nautical miles.
“At this time Coast Guard watchstanders and rescue crews have been unable to reestablish communications with the El Faro crew,” authorities said.
Tim Nolan, president of TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico, which operates the ship, said the company lost all communication with the ship on Thursday. Friday, Nolan said “there are a number of possible reasons for the loss of communications among them the increasing severity of Hurricane Joaquin.”
