COSTA RICA NEWS – A U.S. submarine will attempt to reach the catamaran EcoQuest, lying 150 metres deep in the Pacific Ocean that sank on January 8. The ship is in waters too deep for the Costa Rican Coast Guard divers to reach.
The objective is to conduct an external inspection of the sunken boat, to be used as evidence in the ongoing investigation of the incident, that resulted in 3 people dead.
No date has been defined. The request was made by the Attorney General’s (Fiscalía General de la República) office to the U.S. Embassy in San José.
“The team that would travel from the U.S. to Costa Rica will be assisted by Martin Arias, of the Coast Guard (Servicio Nacional de Guardacostas – SNG), and uorkd under the functional contorl of the prosecutor in Puntarenas, Tatiana Chaves,” said the a statement by the Ministerio Publico.
The group is expectedd to be composed of experts from different agencies, such as the United States Navy and Guard, to provide a technical opinion on their observations, informed the Attorney General’s office.
Subdirector of OIJ, the Costa Rican court investigative agency, Gerard Campos, told La Nacion, “We want to make an incursion, but this requires certain procedures because of the depth. We need support from specialists. Staff from the U.S. Embassy have already been in the area.”
The EcoQuest, built in 2007, suddenly filled with water and went down quickly. Had it not been for the quick rescue action, more than three people would have died.
On January 8, as it had done on may occasions before, the catamaran left Playa Herradura on the Pacific coast, north of Jacó, bound for Tortuga Island. Passengers paid ¢65,000 colones each for the day trip, but, the catamaran encountered heavy seas and winds of 65 kilometres per hour.
The boat now lies on the ocean floor 150 metres (500 feet) down, with its secrets.
It was minutes before the catamaran left port with 109 people on board – 99 passengers and 10 crew – when it began to sink rapidly. A small fleet of smaller boats, including private yachts and commercial fishing boats, responded to alert, saving all but three, a Brit, Canadian and an American.
In the investigation so far, authorities found that the catamaran, operated by Pura Vida Princess, had all its documents and inspections in order. The boat herself was constructed in Puntarenas by Lewis Raymond Watts. The vessel was originally registered as Michelle V.
Catamarans are valued by tourism because they are stable in rough water, making them more comfortable in rough seas, which deepens the mystery of EcoQuest’s sudden demise. Their double hulls keep them economical since they have less resistance in the water.
La Nacion pointed out that the current laws covering navigation date back to 1989 and a bill to update those regulations has been in congress for two years on the back burner, a fact that Vice President Ana Helena Chacon brought to the attention of lawmakers four days after EcoQuest’s sinking.
Current regulations sanctions against or penalties of irregular navigation, notes the preamble of the bill. Still, tourism companies are sensitive about safety and Empress Bay Island Cruises ran an ad in La Nacion a week ago, letting the public know that their catamaran Great Bay Princess, that can take up to 200 passengers to Tortuga Island, is “100% safe” for excursions.
Sources: La Nacion; iNews