Malfunctioning steering system, poor stability caused Sewol ferry disaster, new gov't probe finds

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Malfunctioning steering system, poor stability caused Sewol ferry disaster, new gov't probe finds

Published: 14 Apr. 2025, 11:21 Updated: 14 Apr. 2025, 17:35

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

The Sewol ferry sinks into the sea as the rescuers dispatched by the marine police and the Navy approach the ship. [JOONGANG ILBO]

The Sewol ferry disaster in 2014 was caused by internal structural failures, including a malfunctioning steering system and poor stability, according to recently revealed findings from government investigations ahead of the 11th anniversary of the tragedy.

The Mokpo branch of the Korea Maritime Safety Tribunal said Monday that a special panel issued its conclusion on the tragedy in November last year — 10 years and 7 months after the Sewol ferry sank on April 16, 2014. The incident killed more than 300 people, many of whom were high school students.

While court rulings apply to general legal cases, maritime accidents in Korea are subject to the tribunal’s decisions. The tribunal’s judgment document functions similarly to a court verdict.

The panel fully ruled out the theory that external factors, such as a collision, caused the ferry to sink, according to the tribunal’s findings obtained by Yonhap News Agency.

“Based on findings following the vessel's salvage and inspection, we did not confirm any evidence of external forces that could have caused an abrupt turn, such as hull damage,” the panel said. “As there was no credible evidence of external impact, we did not consider that theory in our determination.”

Choir members sing for the victims of the Sewol ferry tragedy at Hwarang Public Garden in Ansan, Gyeonggi, on Tuesday, which marked the 10th anniversary of the tragedy. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Instead, the panel found that the abrupt turn made by the ferry was not due to human error by the helmsman but rather a mechanical failure in the ship's steering system.

The panel also took the arguments from a 2018 investigation that claimed the solenoid valve in Pump No. 2 of the steering gear was stuck and led the steering system to malfunction. At the time of the accident, the ship’s stability was already severely compromised, the panel added.

This was due to extensive structural modifications made to increase the passenger capacity, which raised the ship’s center of gravity.

The passengers of Sewol Ferry are sitting at the unsunken rear of the ship, waiting for the rescue forces to reach them. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Although vessels with weakened stability must carry less cargo, the Sewol ferry was found to have been carrying nearly twice the amount allowed in its stability calculations — 2,021 tons, instead of the permitted 1,077 tons.

To make matters worse, the cargo had not been properly secured. The unfastened cargo made the ferry severely tilt while making a turn. Seawater then flooded through the openings in the outer hull, resulting in the loss of stability, according to the panel’s conclusion.

Out of the 476 people on board, 304 were killed or went missing in the disaster. The tribunal attributed the scale of the human toll to the crew's failure to take active rescue measures.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]