Who actually writes the reports?
Members of the staff of the modal office, for example the staff of the Office of Marine Safety, prepares the factual reports (deck operations, engineering, survival factors, and human performance) pertaining to a vessel accident. These staff personnel normally would be the same personnel that were involved in the on-scene investigation. Frequently, scientific personnel such as metallurgists or engineers will assist in examining wreckage and damaged parts on scene and in the Safety Board’s laboratory, and they will prepare factual reports detailing their findings. Modern oceangoing ships have voyage data recorders similar to the so-called black boxes on commercial aircraft. Readout of these complex recording devices will be accomplished by engineers who specialize in extracting and displaying the data pertaining to the accident that has been recorded by these devices. The factual reports will be provided to the parties for their review and correction. The next step is the drafting of an
