The SS El Faro was a 791 foot cargo ship charged with bringing commercial goods to Puerto Rico. Early on Thursday, October 1, while near the center of Category 4 Hurricane Joaquin, the El Faro reported that it had lost propulsion, was taking on water and listing. No reason was given for the loss of power, and no further communication was received. Because of the hurricane conditions, the Coast Guard could only do limited search and rescue until Sunday, October 4, and even then visibility was limited. On October 5, one lifeboat and less than a handful of survival suits (of approx. 46) were found. One survival suit contained human remains. Two debris fields were found, one near the El Faro’s final position and another one located 69 miles northeast of the first debris filed, evidence that there was substantial movement of debris and potentially any lifeboats or survivors. On Wednesday, October 7, the Coast Guard called off the search.

The US Coast Guard has done a fantastic job searching for the crew, but we are asking that they give it more time. Six days is well within the survival window for any trained mariner in a lifeboat and or life raft. These lifeboats and rafts are provided with food and water. Only one lifeboat was recovered and only one lift raft; there are 4 more remaining. The body found in the survival suit is evidence that the crew was trying to abandon ship. Survival suits would not have been donned until the crew was actively abandoning ship. These twenty-eight Americans deserve our best efforts in locating them as long as they have a possibility of survival. We are well within the survival window for this tragedy. There are hundreds of islands in the Bahamas, many are uninhabited. 

The crew of the El Faro is 28 American and 5 Polish men and women who are parents, husbands, wives, children, and friends. They are experienced mariners who are well-trained. The crew of the El Faro deserves a chance to be found. Please help by signing this petition to ask the US Coast Guard and all other able agencies to please continue the search.