Regarding that comment, The industry is being inundated with new 'catchphrases' in this 'risk management' topic.
The concept in modern risk management is 'error trapping'. Meaning in the cycle of an error (as the El Faro sinking will be included) in the entire error chain, if you can just eliminate ONE part of the error chain (of events) you would eliminate the entire error.
To put it simply, in the case of fire, removing one aspect of fire (either heat, fuel or air) removes the possibility of a 'fire error'.
Similarly, in the case of El Faro, removing one of the causes (poor steel, failing engine, or.... more predictably changing route) would have eliminated the incident.
In this case, the ship wasn't going to be changed. The engines were already suspect, as they had outside engineers doing (Unknown) repairs, modifications, and then they headed in straight line towards San Juan.
Sounds like just NOT going directly into an oncoming hurricane would have solved a whole lot of issues.
The voyage was in all expected to be about 1000 NM. They had traveled about 550 miles to sinking. They had passed their 'way out' (Providence Channel Bahamas) about 200 miles previous (the previous day.)
Bad error chain, NO error trapping, and poor judgement in age of vessel, known problems, and going TOWARDS instead of along the fringe of a hurricane.
Professional Mariners are trained in this stuff. It ain't magic. It ain't a mystery. What is a mystery is why the error chain wasn't seen, stopped or altered.
A previous mention was made: Would you invite 33 people on a boat with you under these circumstances. This is a red herring.
The true question would have been: Would the Master take a vessel with known issues INTO the path of a hurricane? If so, why? If so, under what directive? Would a prudent mariner put his vessel in this predicament? Us 'outsiders' don't know a lot about the actual conditions of the El Faro. However, having sailed on vessels similar to her, of like age, and knowing how design changes (have you looked at the pictures of her?) alter stability I am more than suspect on many things surrounding this incident. However, the evidence needed to come to conclusions may rest not on ElFaro (or be retrievable), but on her sistership that is still afloat.