I would agree that the lawyers,MBAs, and accountants in senior management at most companies know nothing about the condition of their ships or ship operation. From senior management’s point of view, they are in the business of selling a “logistics service.” The ships are merely incidental to the logistics business.
But Tote must have had some Port engineers and Port captains that were aware of the obvious physical defects that the USCG Seattle observed.
You make a good point, the USCG Seattle probably would not have noticed the defects in El Junkie, if it were not the sistership of EL Faro which had just sank, and owned by the same company. Instead of the usual soft glance, the USCG gave El Junkie a hard look.
You’re probably right that this had more to do with USCG CYA , rather than a renewed commitment to maritime safety in general.