By David Adams
MIAMI: Life jackets, containers and an oil sheen were spotted by U.S. Coast Guard aircrews on Sunday, the third day of their search for the cargo ship El Faro and its 33 mostly American crew members after it went missing in the eye of Hurricane Joaquin.
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 Coast Guard 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."
On Saturday, pilots working in high winds and seas found three life rings in waters to the northeast of Crooked Island in the Bahamas, about 75 miles (120 km) from the ship's last known position. One was confirmed to belong to the El Faro.
The Coast Guard and U.S. 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.
Conditions in the area on Saturday hampered search efforts, with 20 to 40-feet seas and winds in excess to 115 miles (185 km) per hour, the Coast Guard said.
In video released by the Coast Guard one pilot said visibility was less than a quarter of a mile (0.4 km) while flying low at 1,000 (300 m) feet.
"This was the most challenging weather conditions anyone on our crew had ever flown," said Coast Guard pilot Lt Dustin Burton after returning Saturday from his mission.
El Faro, a 735-foot (224-m) container ship with 28 U.S. 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.
SURPRISED BY COMMUNICATIONS LOSS
As contact with the ship was lost, it is not known whether the ship was able to recover propulsion at some point.
There were no further communications after a distress call received at about 7:30 a.m. (1130 GMT) 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," Mike Hanson, a spokesman for El Faro's owner, Tote Maritime Puerto Rico, told Reuters.
The ship was equipped with an onboard transponder as well as a satellite phone and GPS devices on the containers, he said.
The storm battered the central Bahamas archipelago for more than two days with 130 miles (210 km) per hour winds, a potentially catastrophic Category 4 hurricane on a scale of 1 to 5.
Reuters
