Family of El Faro victims skeptical after Coast Guard testimony

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Concerns were raised by four Lee County families, some of which are saying questionable testimonies are obstructing answers about what happened to their loved ones on board the El Faro.

The U.S. Coast Guard heard two weeks of testimony about the ship, its problems and Hurricane Joaquin.

Claudia Shultz, whose husband was lost at sea on the vessel, quietly listened through testimony. She said she is worried that people did not tell reveal the whole truth so they could keep their jobs with cargo company TOTE Maritime.

“TOTE is in the room with them. They’re not going to say anything,” Shultz said. “The new ships are out, they got new positions. They don’t want to lose that.

Providing a false testimony would be a very risky thing to do, Coast Guard Capt. Jason Neubauer said.

“I can warn everyone that the investigation is so thorough that it would be very dangerous to go up on the stand and to tell lies to the board,” he said.

But TOTE Services Inc. CEO and President Philip Green avoided some questions and refused to answer others. He challenged whether Coast Guard officials’ questions were “relevant”

His answers and disposition was not received well by families of the 33 crew members.

More hearings are scheduled for May and Sen. Bill Nelson asked for a second search for the voyage data recorder, which could provide critical answers.

The El Faro hearings could be delayed is the recorder is found in order to include it into investigations, according to the Coast Guard.