On the 7th of November, the professional maritime educational platform Learnmarine with the informational support from the MTWTU, held the seminar on the tragedy of the US-flagged vessel EL FARO, which became a victim of the powerful hurricane Joaquin and sank on the 1st of October, 2015.

But when did the things go wrong and why the 200-m ship failed to complete the voyage? The MTWTU together with the seafarers explored the cause of the catastrophe.

During the three-hour interactive seminar, its participants were offered to investigate the complete chronology of the loss of EL FARO and to find out which factors came together and caused the catastrophe. The participants also collectively discussed the possible changing of the ship’s course, which could have helped to avoid the tragedy, based on the hurricane trajectory and the vessel’s tracking data.

In addition, the keynote speaker Captain Dmitry Perepelitsa gave the seafarers valuable advice on how to navigate a ship in severe weather conditions, and in particular, which programs to use when it comes to navigating in tropical cyclone zones.

All those present took an active part in the discussion and spent much time debating the issue after the seminar ended.