The following is the text of a press release issued by the U.S, Coast Guard:
(MIAMI) — Coast Guard crews located a life ring belonging to the missing container ship El Faro late Saturday approximately 75 miles northeast of the ship's last known position.
The El Faro, a 790-foot roll on, roll off, cargo ship, departed Jacksonville, Florida, Sept. 29, en route to San Juan.
A Coast Guard HC-130 search and rescue crew from Air Station Clearwater, Florida, spotted the life ring 120 nautical miles northeast of Crooked Island, Bahamas. A Coast Guard MH-60 helicopter crew recovered the life ring and confirmed it belonged to the missing ship El Faro.
Search and rescue crews have searched more than 30,000 square-miles since Thursday.
Sea conditions in the search area today have been reported to be 20 to 40-feet with winds in excess to 100 knots. Visibility for search and rescue flying between 500 and 1,000 feet has been reported to be less than one nautical mile at times.
