Page 12 - ATD05October2015
P. 12
A12
WORLD NEWSMonday 5 October 2015
More debris but no word on fate of ship lost off Bahamas
BEN FOX The sky is overcast on south Eleuthera island, Bahamas, early my daughter and every- Saturday about 120 miles
JASON DEAREN one on it home,” she said. (193 kilometers) northeast
Associated Press Friday, Oct. 2, 2015 as Hurricane Joaquin dumps torrential Laurie Bobillot, whose of Crooked Island. That was
NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — daughter, Danielle Ran- followed by floating debris
The search for a U.S. cargo rains across the eastern and central Bahamas as a Category 4 dolph, is a second mate on and the oil sheen on Sun-
ship that was lost during the El Faro, said Sunday she day.
Hurricane Joaquin off the storm. was trying not to lose hope TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico
southeastern Bahamas after nearly four days anx- said a contracted tugboat
turned up more clues Sun- Associated Press iously waiting for news of and another of its ships had
day but no word yet on has left the Bahamas and were also clearly in agony the ship from its owner, found a container that
the fate of the vessel or its TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico. appears to be from the El
33-member crew. was en route to Bermuda. as they anxiously awaited “We’ve got to stay posi- Faro. But “there has been
Aircraft and ships taking tive,” said Bobillot, of Rock- no sighting of the El Faro or
part in the search located Two Coast Guard cutters, word of any developments land, Maine. “These kids any life boats,” company
a container that appears are trained. Every week president Tim Nolan said in
to have come from the the Northland and Reso- at the Seafarer’s Interna- they have abandon ship a statement.
790-foot El Faro, according drills.” The company has defend-
to the owner of the vessel, lute, were expected to tional Union hall in Jack- The El Faro departed from ed its decision to authorize
while the Coast Guard said Jacksonville, Florida on voyage. Crew members
it has found a debris field continue searching over- sonville. Some sobbed and Sept. 29, when Joaquin were “equipped to handle
that includes what appear was still a tropical storm, situations such as changing
to be pieces of container. night Sunday as the aircraft hugged each other. with 28 crew members weather,” it said in a state-
They also spotted an oil from the United States and ment.
sheen in the sea. returned to their bases. “This is torture,” Mary Shev- five from Poland. The ship Bobillot and Robin Rob-
The latest finds follow the was heading to Puerto Rico erts, whose stepson Mike
discovery of an orange Authorities lost contact with ory, mother of crew mem- on a regular cargo supply Holland is an engineer on
ring that was confirmed to run to the U.S. island terri- the El Faro, said they had
have come from the El Faro the El Faro early Thursday ber Mariette Wright. tory when it ran into trou- faith in the skill of the ship’s
a day earlier. Chief Petty ble. It was being battered captain, whose name the
Officer Bobby Nash said it as the ship sailed through Shevory, who had come to by winds of more than 130 company has declined to
was too early to come to mph and waves of up to 30 release.
any conclusion. the Bahamas at the height the Seafarer’s Union Hall in feet (9 meters). “This is a top-notch cap-
“We still don’t have com- The crew reported that the tain. He’s well-educated,”
munication with the ship of the storm as it sailed from Jacksonville from her home ship had lost power, had Bobillot said. “He would not
and we don’t even know if taken on water and was have put the life of his crew
the debris field is from the its homeport in Jackson- in Massachusetts, said her listing 15 degrees but that in danger, and would not
ship,” said Nash, a Coast the situation was “manage- have out his own life in dan-
Guard spokesman. ville, Florida, to San Juan, 51-year-old daughter was able,” in their last commu- ger, had he known there
The fourth-day of search- nication on Thursday morn- was danger out there. He
ing across a wide expanse Puerto Rico. devoted to her job working ing, TOTE Maritime Puerto had the best intentions.
of the Atlantic Ocean near Rico, said. They have not He has a family too, and
Crooked Island was aided Family members of the on the ship. been heard from since. he wanted to go home to
by the first day of calmer The first sign of the ship, an them too. That storm just
weather now that Joaquin crew said they were trying “I’m just praying to God orange life ring, was found came up way too fast.”q
to remain optimistic, but they find the ship and bring
