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The purpose of the Marine Board of Investigation hearing, which begins tomorrow Feb. 16 in Jacksonville, Fla., will be to determine the cause of the incident and create safety

recommendations for the industry.    The United States Coast Guard’s Marine Board of Investigation will begin a public hearing on the sinking of the _El Faro_ tomorrow, Feb. 16 at the Prime

F. Osborn Convention Center in Jacksonville, Fla.    The TOTE Maritime general cargo vessel sank in the Atlantic Ocean on Oct. 1, 2015 when it sailed into the path of Hurricane Joaquin en

route from Jacksonville to San Juan, Puerto Rico, claiming the lives of its 28-member crew and five additional sailors on board.    The purpose of the 10-day MBI hearing will be to determine

the cause of the incident, evaluate whether evidence suggests any misconduct or negligence contributing to the loss, and create safety recommendations for the industry in an attempt to

prevent future incidents.    The last time the USCG convened the full MBI board for an investigation like this was following the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in 2010, which

killed 11 crew members and caused more than 200 million gallons of oil to spill into the Gulf of Mexico.    During the hearings, marine shipping experts, company executives and family

members of the crew are expected to testify regarding the condition and maintenance history of the _El Faro_, including its lifesaving equipment; TOTE company structure, hiring practices and

ship tracking systems; and USCG’s role in early response and rescue efforts. Since the incident, many have questioned why the ship sailed into a massive hurricane in the first place and

whether the captain might have been under pressure to sail under such dangerous conditions.    Following the investigation and a subsequent hearing likely to take place in the spring, the

MBI will issue a full report on its findings and future recommendations. The MBI noted its hearing is not a criminal proceeding, but the Coast Guard can submit any evidence of wrongdoing or

illegal activity uncovered in its investigation to the U.S. Department of Justice.    MBI board members include experienced marine casualty investigators, technical experts, legal advisers

and other USCG support personnel, as well as a marine investigator from the National Transportation Safety Board.    NTSB said last week it would launch a second expedition to search for

evidence in its own investigation into the loss the ill-fated cargo vessel. The key objective of the two-week NTSB mission in April will be to locate the voyage data recorder or "black

box" dislodged from the _El Faro_ when it sank.    The Marine Board of Investigation hearings are open to the public and the Coast Guard will be tweeting live updates from @uscoastguard

under the hashtags #CGMBI and #Elfaro. Interested parties may ask questions or make comments via the e-mail address [email protected], and the proceedings proceedings may also be viewed via a

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