Sewol sinking puts pressure on IMO
- Details
- Category: Accidentes
- Published on Saturday, 03 May 2014 03:16
- Hits: 1715
South Korea’s worst maritime disaster has returned passenger shipping safety to close international scrutiny, writes Moyoun Jin in Seoul
The 16 April capsizing of the ferry Sewol in South Korea has raised questions about safety standards on passenger ships that echo far beyond the region. The arrests of the captain, Lee Joon-seok, and at least two other crew members are unlikely to be the last in relation to the event.
IHS chief maritime analyst Richard Clayton said: “Coming so soon after [Italy’s 2012] Costa Concordia tragedy, in which the captain was also made the first, last, and only man responsible for casualties, shipping should not be surprised if serious questions are asked by non-maritime opinion-formers about whether our industry is safe. In the eyes of our customers, shipping does not take safety seriously enough. The time has come for the IMO to take a much firmer grip on safety.”
It has been suggested that the accident occurred as a result of a sharp turn made by an inexperienced crew member. A 26-year-old, identified only by her surname, Park, was steering the Sewol when it listed and capsized. She had little more than one year’s experience as third mate and had spent less than five months on Sewol. It was also her first time steering the ferry through the Maenggol Channel, where the accident happened. The woman is one of the three crew arrested on suspicion of negligence, abandoning people in need, and violating maritime law.
The Maenggol Channel has one of the most rapid and unpredictable currents in the Korean Peninsula due to tidal shifts. When the departure time was delayed, the steering rota for the ship’s mates was changed.
IHS Maritime senior analyst Gary Li has extracted the general movement tracks for the Sewol over the previous 20 days and said: “The vessel did not deviate from previous routes.” Carrying 476 passengers and crew bound for Jeju Island, Sewol capsized and sank off South Korea’s southern coast, near Jindo Island in South Jeolla Province, at 08.58 local time…