Home > National > Social Affairs

Rescued worker says ferry capsized when heavy equipment shifted

Published: 31 Dec. 2024, 13:25

LIM JEONG-WON
[email protected]

Coast Guard rescue operators search the area around the point where a car ferry, the Seohae Line, capsized near the coast of Seosan in South Chungcheong late Monday. [SHIN JIN-HO]

A worker rescued from a ferry that capsized in the sea near the coast of Seosan in South Chungcheong late Monday said it tilted and overturned while carrying heavy equipment.

According to the Taean Coast Guard and others on Tuesday, the 83-ton Seohae Line that capsized the day before was operating with a 24-ton dump truck and a 11-ton cargo crane on its deck when the accident occurred.

The capsized ferry was operated by a marine maintenance company and was not a fishing boat but a work vessel that transports vehicles and cargo.

On the day of the accident, the ferry was returning after completing construction on the Beolmal and Udo Port fishing village New Deal project and carrying two large pieces of heavy equipment.

Captain found dead after ferry capsizes off coast, 4 still missing

There were seven people on board the ship at the time of the accident, including five Koreans, one Vietnamese national and one other presumed to be of Chinese nationality.

The Coast Guard rescued three from the capsized ship; a Korean excavator operator and a crane operator, and one believed to be a foreign national.

According to the rescue service, the two stated that the “ferry suddenly tilted” and that they “jumped into the sea to escape.”

Based on these witness testimonies, the investigation authorities presume that the ferry capsized when the heavy equipment on board lurched to one side.

The area where the accident occurred has been experiencing rough waves since the day before, with a high-wave advisory currently issued for the area.

“A work vessel with an unbalanced center of gravity can tip over even with a small wave,” a marine and shipping industry worker said. “No matter how heavy the heavy equipment is, it can move slightly due to the waves and eventually become unmanageable.”

The Coast Guard is reportedly checking whether the heavy equipment was properly secured it was initially loaded.

The proper management of the Seohae Line's entry and exit ports is also being called into question.

While general vessels or fishing boats must report their entry and exit ports to the Coast Guard, the Seohae Line, a work vessel and car ferry, is classified as a miscellaneous vessel and there are reportedly no regulations for enforcing the report of entry and exit ports.

“We are investigating the exact circumstances of the accident based on statements from the two rescued people,” a Coast Guard official said. “The Seohae Line, which is a miscellaneous vessel, is subject to entry and exit port reporting, but it is not mandatory, so it seems that it has not properly reported its entry and exit ports.”

Three of the seven people who were aboard the ferry are still missing as of noon on Tuesday. The Coast Guard, which conducted an overnight search, found the body of the captain of the ferry inside the ship at 4:39 a.m. Search operations are continuing around the accident site to find the remaining four.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]