October 7, 2022 — Small as a cellphone and costing less than $400, personal locator beacons should be required equipment for every mariner working on U.S. vessels.
That’s been the insistent position of the National Transportation Safety Board since its joint investigation with the Coast Guard into the El Faro disaster of 2015.
The cargo vessel sank in hurricane Joaquin off the Bahamas, en route from Jacksonville, Fla., to San Juan, Puerto Rico. All 33 crew were lost; during a week-long search one unidentifiable body was seen, but could not be recovered.
Among the lengthy recommendations out of the NTSB El Faro report, there was this short notation:
“Require that all personnel employed on vessels in coastal, Great Lakes, and ocean service be provided with a personal locator beacon to enhance their chances of survival.”
The NTSB has been louder recently.