Sewol surfaces after 1,073 days
The ferry Sewol emerges from the water between two jacking barges off the shore of Jindo Island, Thursday, nearly three years after the vessel sank in the southwestern sea. More than 300 passengers and crew members were killed in the nation’s worst maritime disaster. / Korea Times photo by Park Gyung-woo
Hopes high for finding 9 missing bodies ― and truth behind sinking
By Jung Min-ho
The sunken ferry Sewol emerged from the waters Thursday, nearly three years after it sank and left more than 300 people dead in Korea’s worst maritime disaster.
According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, salvage operators successfully lifted the 145-meter-long, 6,825-ton ship off the seabed at 3:45 a.m. ― 1,073 days after it sank on April 16, 2014, off the southwestern island of Jindo.
“Part of the ferry, which is believed to be its stabilizer, is now seen above the surface of the water,” Lee Cheol-jo, the ministry official in charge of the operation, told reporters at the time.
The tragedy took the lives of 304 people
―
mostly teenagers on a field trip, and the remains of nine are still missing. Hopes are high that they will be found once the ferry is recovered.
The first stage is to raise the ferry, which had been lying on its side at a depth of 44 meters, to an ideal height so a semisubmersible recovery ship can be maneuvered under it.
The ferry will then be taken to Mokpo Port in South Jeolla Province, where it is expected to arrive March 30, and be moved into a dry dock three or four days later. The ministry said the schedule is subject to change depending on weather conditions.
The first stage was planned to be completed by 11 a.m., but was delayed because of technical difficulties. As of 10 p.m., the ministry said 10 meters of the ship was above water. It will try to remove all obstacles to raising the ferry by Friday morning.
About 450 salvage workers started efforts to raise the ferry at 10 a.m. The ministry said they first stabilized the submerged vessel before beginning to lift it.
Two barges were positioned on either side of the ship
into which airbags had been placed to facilitate the salvage operation. Beams were also installed underneath the wreck.
The whole operation, which is being led by China’s state-run Shanghai Salvage, is expected to take about 13 days at a total cost of 102 billion won ($90 million), including insurance.
The project was pushed back several times because of chaotic politics and adverse weather conditions. The ministry successfully conducted a final equipment test, Sunday.
Gathered at Paengmok Harbor on Jindo, the victims’ families and relatives reacted emotionally to the news of the ferry being raised.
“I screamed when I heard the news, thinking that I will finally be able to find my child,” Lee Keum-hui, the mother of Cho Eun-hwa, one of the missing children, told reporters. “Please pray for us so I can go home with Eun-ha … We will be grateful if you pray with us so the last remaining victims can return to their families.”
In a tense atmosphere during the day, Lee Woo-geun, who lost his son in the tragedy, also nervously watched the salvage operation on television from Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, the home of most of the victims.
“I was heartbroken looking at the rust and corrosion on the hull of the ferry," Lee said. “The operation isn’t over yet. We’ll wait until the ferry is safely moved to Mokpo Port.”
The ministry said nets had been placed around broken windows and holes in the ferry to prevent the remains of the nine missing from being lost in the water. The ministry said search operations will begin as soon as the ferry is placed in a dry dock and after a safety inspection.
While the ministry is considering many options, the victims’ families are urging it not to damage any part of the ferry. They are concerned that this could result in losing clues to finding out the exact cause of the disaster, much of which still remains a mystery.
But Vice Minister Yoon Hag-bae believes some damage may be inevitable because part of the ferry was compressed to block passages, which could make search operations difficult.
The disaster and its aftermath gripped the nation and overshadowed former President Park Geun-hye, who stayed at her residence for the crucial first seven hours of the sinking. She has not yet revealed specifically what she was doing at that time.
Park was impeached over a major influence-peddling scandal involving her confidant Choi Soon-sil and is now subject to prosecution for corruption and giving state secrets to an unauthorized person.
The sinking was blamed on a combination of an illegal redesign, cargo overloading, the inexperience of the crew and lax government regulations.
The ferry captain, Lee Joon-seok, abandoned the ship while most of the passengers were still on board. He was later convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.