Transcripts of First El Faro Hearing Available Online

The U.S. Coast Guard has posted the transcripts from the first public hearing of the El Faro Marine Board of Investigation (MBI), online.

The meeting was held in February 2016 and ran for 10 days. The MBI remains in the fact-gathering phase of its investigation and a third and final hearing session, anticipated to for this winter, will examine additional elements of the investigation including information retrieved from the El Faro’s Voyage Data Recorder. 

Once the Coast Guard's fact finding is completed, the MBI will shift to the analysis phase and work independently from the National Transportation Safety Board's concurrent investigation. When the MBI completes its report of investigation they will submit it to the commandant of the Coast Guard. After the commandant reviews the report and makes his final determinations on any safety recommendations, it will be made public.

MarEx coverage of the first hearing includes:

El Faro Hearings Open with Testimony from TOTE
TOTE Deck Officers Testify in El Faro Hearings
El Faro Master's Pleas Played at Hearing
El Faro: Boiler Fireboxes In "Very Bad Shape"
In Photos: El Faro Hearings

The transcripts are available here.