Rod Sullivan is a maritime attorney -- and has been one for 30 years. He said he's been following the disappearance of El Faro closely.
Before becoming a lawyer, he was a seaman and went to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.
“I did sail through a hurricane on a tugboat shortly after I graduated from Kings Point,” Sullivan said.
He said his experience going through a hurricane is much different than what those on the El Faro must have experienced.
If he was a captain, would he have left Jacksonville in the first place?
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“My initial opinion was the vessel should never have left Jacksonville," Sullivan said. "However now that I’ve seen the weather report and the weather maps at the time of departure, I realize the captain probably didn't have to be concerned at that point."
But Sullivan said the owner of El Faro and the captain should have been in contact with each other often.
He said as soon as they learned the conditions were worsening, they should have changed course, even if it would have cost the company more money and time to do so.
“You could turn north, you could head back to Jacksonville, you could go to the coast of Florida and coast down the coast and come in south of the Bahamas,” Sullivan said.
WJAX
