South Korea to resume lifting of sunken Sewol ferry next week

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea said Thursday, June 16, it would resume salvage operations on the Sewol ferry next week, but underlined the enormous challenges posed by raising the vessel that sank in 2014 with massive loss of life.

The Sewol was carrying 476 people when it went down off the southwestern island of Jindo, leaving 304 – mostly school children – dead in one of the country’s worst maritime disasters.

Nine bodies still unaccounted for are believed to remain trapped inside the sunken ship, and raising it intact was a key demand of the victims’ families.

The 6,825-ton ferry lies more than 40 meters (130 feet) below the surface and the process of actually lifting it off the seabed began on Sunday, June 13 – only to be postponed a day later due to adverse weather conditions.

The bow was raised about 5 meters but part of the deck was damaged by underwater wires in the rough conditions.

“The operations will resume around June 24 when the currents slow,” the ministry said in a statement.

The salvage effort is expected to cost around $72 million and is being led by a Chinese consortium.

The initial schedule envisaged bringing the ferry to the surface by late July, but the ministry said Thursday that the more likely timeline was now August or even later – depending on conditions during the July monsoon season.

“The Sewol salvage project is a work against nature, as it is being staged in an area known for strong currents,” said Kim Hyun-Tae, a senior maritime ministry official, told reporters.

The effort to raise the vessel in one piece, without dismantling it first, was “unprecedented,” Kim said.

Investigations into the Sewol disaster concluded it was largely a man-made tragedy – the cumulative result of an illegal redesign, an overloaded cargo bay, inexperienced crew and a questionable relationship between the ship operators and state regulators.

Captain Lee Jun-Seok was sentenced to life in prison for “murder through willful negligence” and sentences ranging from two to 12 years were handed down to 14 other crew members. – Rappler.com