Sewol to be moved to dry dock Thursday

The semisubmersible recovery ship, to which the Sewol is secured, pulls up near the dock at the Mokpo New Port, South Jeolla Province, Wednesday. / Yonhap

By Lee Kyung-min

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries plans to test modular transporters that will move the ferry Sewol into a dry dock today.

“We will run a test operation after maneuvering 480 transporters, which can carry up to 40 tons each, under Sewol,” said Lee Cheol-jo, the ministry official overseeing the salvage operation.

The ministry had only 456 transporters but added 24 more following an assessment by the special committee investigating the ferry Tuesday that concluded the ferry weighed 14,592 tons, 1,100 tons more than the ministry’s earlier estimate of 13,460 tons.

If moving the ferry proves difficult using the 480 transporters, 336 more will be added, which can support up to 60 tons each.

The transporters will move the ferry from the semisubmersible recovery ship, to which the Sewol is secured, to the dry dock.

The ministry said the work should be completed by next Monday, reversing an earlier statement that it would be done by Saturday, when the first neap tide of the month is forecast to end.

It was believed that the ministry would have needed to wait 15 days for the next tide to ensure the work could be conducted under the safest conditions, but wave interference will likely be negligible through Monday, it said.

The ministry decided against drilling any more holes in the ferry after the 21 drilled Tuesday failed to help drain water and mud from inside the Sewol.

Earlier, the ministry, with the agreement of the special investigation committee late Sunday, began drilling as it was deemed the only way to reduce the weight of the ferry before maneuvering the transporters under it.

A total of 101 objects had been recovered, as of Wednesday. They are believed to be personal belongings of those aboard the Sewol including cosmetic products, nine diaries, stationery, a blanket, a pair of shoes, a sweater, a tie and a cell phone.

A black bag belonging to a victim, whose body was recovered a week after the sinking on April 16, 2014, was recovered. The ministry said relatives of the girl surnamed Kim who attended Danwon High School, Gyeonggi Province, were on their way to Mokpo New Port, South Jeolla Province. The bag contained her school uniform, name tag, and other clothing.

Those were in addition to the passport and a credit card that belonged to ferry captain, Lee Joon-seok, recovered in the early hours of Sunday. Lee is serving a life sentence at the Suncheon Correctional Institution in South Jeolla Province, after the Supreme Court upheld a high court ruling in 2015 that found him guilty of murder, negligence and dereliction of duty.

Meanwhile, the recovery crew, under the supervision of National Forensic Service officials, continued to collect mud for further content analysis as it could contain the remains of the nine victims unaccounted for.

Meanwhile, the semisubmersible recovery ship, to which the Sewol is secured, was moved near to the dock at Mokpo New Port, Wednesday.