South Korea Ferry Sinking: Authorities Arrest Captain

[n2doc]

Source: WSJ

MOKPO, South Korea—Authorities arrested the captain of the sunken South Korean ferry late Friday evening, as one of the crew confirmed accounts that the captain, 69-year-old Lee Jun-seok, was among the first to abandon the sinking ship.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, crew member Oh Yong-seok, who isn't a target of an arrest warrant, recreated the chaotic final moments before the ship capsized on Wednesday morning. He said that although members of the crew abandoned the boat, they did everything they could to first evacuate the vessel's passengers.

"We didn't break the rules," Mr. Oh said. "We just couldn't do it. We were unable to approach the cabin where passengers were. The ship was just tilted too much, and so suddenly."

The focus on the crew members' final actions came after a third day of frustration, confusion and tragedy that offered no new breakthroughs in attempts to rescue the nearly 300 passengers who remain missing.

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304311204579508662325226006

[n2doc]

1. more info and pics

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2607683/arrest-warrant-demand-south-korean-ferry-captain-abandoned-ship.html

[leftynyc]

2. Just like Concordia

The captain abandoned his ship. He's probably safe in jail than in the vicinity of any of those still waiting to find out what happened to their family members. It's heartbreaking.

[jakeXT]

3. Not on the bridge as required by law

The ship made the turn between 8:48 a.m. and 8:49 a.m., but it's not known whether that was done voluntarily or because of some external factor, said Nam Jae-heon, a spokesman for the Maritime Ministry.

Yang Jung-jin, a senior prosecutor, said the captain, 68-year-old Lee Joon-seok, was not present on the bridge as required when the ship was passing through an area with many islands clustered closely together, something he said is required by law so the captain can help a mate make a turn.

The captain also abandoned people in need of help and rescue, Yang said, and "escaped before the passengers."

He said that two crew members on the bridge of the ferry -- a female third mate and a 55-year-old helmsman -- also failed to reduce speed in the waters near the islands and did not carry out necessary measures to save lives.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/04/18/ferry-captain-left-third-mate-at-helm-korea-prosecutor/7855637/

[EX500rider]

4. Was also a VERY bad move not to swing out the lifeboats, deploy the rafts...

....and have everybody on deck in life vests ASAP.

[quadrature]

5. when your ship hits a rock,

go to the boat deck.
quick.


don't wait to be told

[davidpdx]

6. The captain is going have a tough time proving he's not responsible

The problem is that even if he is convicted and sent to prison that political pardons are so common that he probably won't serve that much time.

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. South Korea ferry 'steered by inexperienced third mate'

The South Korean ferry that sank on Wednesday was steered by an inexperienced third mate who had never navigated the challenging waters where the accident occurred, prosecutors say.

The third mate is in custody along with the captain and another crew member.
...
Investigations are focusing on a sharp turn the vessel took before it started listing and whether an evacuation order could have saved lives.
...
Some experts believe the ship's tight turn could have dislodged heavy cargo and destabilised the vessel, while others suggest the sinking could have been caused by a collision with a rock.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-27087243

[seveneyes]

8. "sinking could have been caused by a collision with a rock"

You would think by now a casual inspection of the hull would reveal any sort of collision. It would be very obvious.