RoK successfully salvages sunken Sewol ferry

Monday, 27/03/2017 20:02
The Republic of Korea's Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has said that the working crew completed one of the most dedicate processes in the salvage operation of the sunken Sewol ferry.

(Photo: Reuters)

Nearly three years after it went down, the Sewol ferry has been raised, to be safely placed onto a semi-submersible vessel which will transport it to the port of Mokpo. It is expected to take one day to reach the port.

The vessel was successfully loaded onto the ship at 04h10, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said.

The Sewol was carrying 476 people when it took a sharp turn and capsized off the southwestern island of Jindo on April 16th, 2014, with the loss of 304 lives.

Of those who died, 250 were students from Dawon high school in Ansan, some 30 kilometers south of Seoul.

Sewol was a RoPax ferry that was built by the Japanese company Hayashikane Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd. in 1994. At 146m in length and 22m in width, she could carry 921 passengers, or a total of 956 persons, including the crew. It had a legal capacity for 180 vehicles and 154 regular cargo containers. With a maximum speed of 22 knots (41km/h; 25 mph), the ferry route connected Incheon and Jeju Island./.

Compiled by BTA

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