Pictured: The recovered wreck of El Faro after it was swallowed by a hurricane in October 2015, killing all 33 people on board 

The author of a new book about the sinking of the El Faro has offered insights into why the ship sank and what could have saved the 33 crew members who died at sea.

Journalist Rachel Slade, the author of Into The Raging Sea: Thirty-Three Mariners, One Megastorm And The Sinking Of El Faro, says that both 'hubris' and the 40-year-old ship's age were key factors.

The 790-foot cargo ship sank in the Bahamas on October 1, 2015 in the midst of Hurricane Joaquin while on a cargo run from Florida to Puerto Rico.

'We don’t have 40-year-old cars anymore on the road. They’re considered antiques,' Slade said of the El Faro's age in an interview with Maine Public. 'You can no longer order parts for that ship. The guys were actually using scrapped pieces from scrapped ships to fix the engine, to fix parts. This was a desperate situation.'