NTSB Urges Better Storm Forecasts, Timelier Bulletins For Mariners
The ongoing inquiry into the El Faro disaster has spurred calls for more accurate hurricane forecasts and timelier dissemination of storm updates to mariners.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently issued 10 recommendations stemming from the El Faro investigation. Foremost is the request that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) develop better hurricane prediction models.
The NTSB also urged the National Weather Service to make more accessible the hurricane forecast updates issued between standard advisories. Currently, these “intermediate advisories” are not transmitted to certain satellite terminals — including the one aboard El Faro.
“Storm avoidance is a life-saving skill at sea,” NTSB Acting Chairman Robert Sumwalt said in a prepared statement. “And having frequent, up-to-date and reliable weather information is key to effective storm avoidance — and to saving lives.”
The NTSB expects to complete its investigation and release its findings into the El Faro accident later this year. The 790-foot ship sank Oct. 1, 2015, roughly 40 miles off the Bahamas. Twentyeight U.S. mariners and five Polish technicians died.
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