JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The former chief mate of El Faro, Jamie Torres, said it was “customary” to leave fuel tanks slack despite stability guidelines instructing otherwise.
Torres was first to testify on Day 9 of the special investigation into the sinking of El Faro. It’s the first time since 2010 that the U.S. Coast Guard’s Marine Board of Investigation has conducted a special hearing. The last hearings centered on the Deep Water Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico.
The board pressed Torres on why the fuel tanks were routinely left slack when the vessel’s stability guidelines said they should be filled up to increase weight and improve the vessel’s balance.
“Mr. Torres is it your understanding that if the tanks were full, that would be a positive for stability rather than having them slack?” asked Capt. Jason Neubauer, the board chairman.
“Yes to have the tanks full would be a positive for stability, yes sir,” said Torres.
Torres said the vessel carried 8,500 barrels of fuel, which was enough for the voyage from Jacksonville to Puerto Rico and they kept 25 percent as a precaution. He also said the slack in the tanks was accounted for using the CargoMax software for loading the vessel and they wouldn’t leave port unless the stability level was acceptable.
According to Torres, CargoMax tended to show a discrepancy in the ship’s list that wasn’t really there. Torres said they would only leave port with little to no list.
The chief mate position is critical to the loading process of the vessel. The chief mate is in charge of making the stability calculations that the captain reviews and then signs off on. But there’s been testimony in previous days that El Faro had a higher turnover of chief mates compared with its sister vessels.
Throughout Thursday’s hearing, photos of cargo secured on the deck of El Yunque, El Faro’s sister vessel, were shown. Torres said the system used to secure cargo on El Yunque is similar to what was used on El Faro. Photos showed rusted equipment but Torres said it was only surface rust and he saw nothing wrong with the equipment.
Torres also confirmed there was a “sense of tension” among crew members on El Faro about who was going to be assigned to TOTE’s new liquefied natural gas vessels. He recalled a conversation he had with Capt. Michael Davidson, who was passed over for a promotion to a new vessel.
“I could say that he was disappointed, yes,” said Torres.
Coast Guard Lt. Kimberly Beisner also testified Thursday. She got a firsthand look at life aboard El Faro last May when she boarded the vessel for a little more than a week as part of a “shiprider” program that exposes Coast Guard personnel to what life at sea is like for mariners.
Beisner got emotional when talking about Danielle Randolph, El Faro's second mate, who was on the final voyage.
“I stood the majority of my time with her on board,” said Beisner. “I felt the most comfortable with her. We had a lot in common.”
According to Beisner, Randolph told her how she felt about standing watch in the 12 a.m. to 4 a.m. shift.
“She did express that due to her watch rotation she was often tired,” said Beisner.
Other TOTE Services workers have testified that they didn’t have issues with fatigue.
Friday is the final day of the first round of hearings. The Coast Guard will hold another moment of silence as it did at the start of the hearings for 33 seconds.
Cox Media Group
