EL FARO was equipped to receive weather information from Inmarsat Sat-C communications, NAVTEX, HF-VOBRA, weather fax, satellite TV services, satellite radio services, and Inmarsat-C on-demand weather forecasting services. During the ship’s port calls, and while transiting close to shore, the ship could use the full range of broadcast media as well as wireless or cellular access to all of the available weather forecasting technology such as the Weather Channel and Weather Underground. During EL FARO’s accident voyage the Coast Guard had aircraft on patrol over the eastern Bahamas broadcasting information about the developing tropical system and the associated watches and warnings on Ch. 16 VHF- FM. (156.8 MHZ). The Coast Guard aircraft VHF radio broadcast was heard by watch standers on EL FARO’s bridge.
And processes are slower, and people more reluctant to change.
A vessel carrying 33 lives into the path of a hurricane was relying on hourly EMAILS from a for-profit weather aggregation service? What the hell? Why wouldn't you have up to the minute satellite transmissions of developing whether on every ship that leaves port?
It seems the world is poorer, and people greedier, than can possibly be imagined.