Q&As Oceans Ministry faces Herculean task

The following is an excerpt from the interview with Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Kim Young-suk. ― ED.

By Park Jae-hyuk

Q. People are still paying attention to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries over the salvage of the ferry Sewol. How are preparations going?

A.

In late February we finished linking 66 wires to 33 lifting beams installed last December under the ferry. Also, our staff went to China to meet officials of Shanghai Salvage which will offer raising barges to us.

A semi-submersible and two raising barges from Shanghai will be on standby in mid-March. They will initiate the operation during the neap tide in late March, which will take about nine days.

It will take six days to link the wires to the barges, because divers have to link every wire by hand. Then an additional three days will be needed to put the ferry on the semi-submersible.

If the weather is good enough, the ferry will be moved to Mokpo New Port, after it is salvaged. Shanghai Salvage will have fulfilled its duty, when the wires are separated from the ferry on land.

Q. Will the raising barges continue to be on standby if the weather is not good enough?

It depends on the wave height and wind speed during the three to four days of a neap tide. Waves should be lower than 1.5 meters for the first six days and it should be even lower than 1 meter while raising the ferry.

The whole process is expected to take 14 to 18 days. Depending on the weather, the ship will be brought ashore in April at the earliest or June at the latest. We are trying to refloat the ship by early April.

Q. What will the government do after the salvage? Will it investigate the cause of the disaster?

Including our ministry, 10 governmental institutions will organize a team which will collect the remains of the missing people. The government regards finding missing people as the top priority of salvage.

The fragile and contaminated ferry will be cut up for safer salvage. Unlike bereaved families in Ansan, the families of the missing have already agreed to our plan. They think it is the most reasonable way to find their family members’ remains as soon as possible.

Immediately after the salvage, the government will investigate the ferry. It will undergo inspections on its exterior, steering gear and related equipment to find the cause of the accident.

Q. A presidential election is highly expected to take place during the salvage. If so, will the ministry hand over operations to the next administration?

Actually, we expect the salvage will be done before June. Some people say the next administration should take on the task. But I hope the work be done during my tenure in the office.

For those waiting for their missing family members, the government has firmly decided to refloat the ferry as soon as technically possible without any political considerations.

Q. Do you think the government can find all the nine missing people?

They are unlikely to have been swept away, considering the tidal current of the Yellow Sea and the ship’s solid structure. The government has already installed barriers around the ship and stopped up most of the holes. We hope we can find all of them.

Q. The crisis in the shipping industry following the collapse of Hanjin Shipping is another urgent task facing the ministry. What are the plans of the government to restructure Korean shipping?

First of all, we promise not to repeat serious mistakes. The government and policy financial institutions plan to support Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) to fill up the vacuum left by Hanjin Shiipping as soon as possible.

Q. Are there any specific plans?

A tonnage bank, which is invested by the government and policy financial institutions, was established this January. It has begun to acquire Korean vessels to improve the financial structure of shippers including HMM.

Plus, the government is financing 2.6 trillion won ($2.2 billion) worth of shipbuilding for shippers to improve their capacities by obtaining large container ships with high efficiency.

This April, four alliances consist of 16 shippers will be reorganized into three consisting of 10. The government plans to offer various incentives to Korean and international shippers entering Busan and Gwangyang ports, as preparation for reorganization.

Q. Global enterprises have recently raised negative issues on Korea’s shipping industry. What do you think the government’s role is under the circumstances?

Although Walmart had raised the issue right after Hanjin Shippings bankruptcy, it resolved the misunderstanding, due to the sincere support of Korean shippers by the government.

Actually, the contracts between shippers and owners of goods are very complicated and most of them are confidential. There is no space for the government to meddle. So, our ministry has nothing to do, but sincerely support HMM, and Busan and Gwangyang ports.