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Brian Curtis News

04 Feb 2020

Vessel Safety: US House Subcommittee Seeks Faster Implementation

The diving boat Conception burns off the coast of Santa Cruz island on September 2, 2019. (Photo released by the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office)

In November the U.S. House of Representatives’ Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee held a hearing on “Commercial and Passenger Vessel Safety: Challenges and Opportunities.” Testimony covered a range of issues, from recent tragedies such as the Conception dive-boat disaster to antiquated maritime laws.Hearing witness list:Rear Admiral Richard V. Timme, Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy, United States Coast GuardThe Honorable Richard Balzano…

04 Aug 2016

New Mission Set to Retrieve El Faro's VDR

El Faro's voyage data recorder next to the ship's mast on ocean floor (Photo: NTSB)

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will launch its third mission to the wreckage of the El Faro on Friday from Virginia Beach, Virginia. The mission’s primary objective is to retrieve the sunken cargo ship’s voyage data recorder. The Military Sealift Command’s fleet ocean tug USNS Apache is expected to arrive at the accident site around August 9. Along with the NTSB, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Navy, and Phoenix International are joining the recovery effort, using CURV-21…

06 May 2016

US Aims to Recover El Faro VDR in Next Few Months

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board hopes to recover the voyage data recorder from the cargo ship El Faro, which sank during a hurricane killing all 33 crew on board, over the next two to three months, an agency official said on Thursday. A surveillance trip to the site where the ship sank last year, some 15,000 feet (4,600 meters) below sea level off the Bahamas, pinpointed the location of the recorder on April 26. It should contain navigational data and the last 12 hours of audio on the ship's bridge, Brian Curtis, acting director of the Office of Marine Safety at the NTSB, told reporters. He spoke after the voyage to locate the recorder returned to port in Massachusetts. "We know where it is but it is still a tall challenge.

27 Apr 2016

Another Mission Needed to Recover El Faro’s VDR

Voyage data recorder next to El Faro's mast on ocean floor (Photo: NTSB)

The investigative team who located the El Faro’s voyage data recorder (VDR) has determined that another mission will be necessary in order to retrieve the device, which may contain recorded conversations and sounds from the ship’s navigation bridge, potentially helping investigators to piece together the sequence of events that led to the cargo ship’s sinking during Hurricane Joaquin in October 2015. The team of investigators and scientists aboard research vessel Atlantis collaborated…

15 May 2007

NTSB Sending Team to Grounding of Cruise Ship

The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a team of investigators to Juneau, Alaska today to begin an investigation into the grounding of a cruise ship. The cruise ship Empress of the North ran aground 50 nautical miles from Juneau, and was listing and taking on water. All passengers were evacuated and 33 crewmembers remained onboard. There were no injuries reported. NTSB investigator Brian Curtis has been designated Investigator-in-Charge of the 8-member team. NTSB Member Kitty Higgins will accompany the team and serve as principal spokesperson for the on-scene investigation. Keith Holloway is the press officer joining the team.