Seohae ferry sinking

Overview

On the morning of Sunday, 10 October 1993, the Seohae Ferry, a 110-ton class steel passenger ship belonging to Gunsan Seohae Ferry, left Pajanggeum Port in Wido-myeon, Buan County, Jeollabuk-do, bound for Gyeokpo Port on the Byeonsan Peninsula. About 30 minutes after departure, it was struck by high waves near Imsu Island, capsized, and sank. The ship had a capacity of 221 people (including 14 crew members) but was carrying 362, 141 more than its capacity. Of those aboard, 292 died and 70 were rescued. It was the worst passenger ship disaster since the Namyeongho sinking (323 deaths) in 1970.

Background

The Seohae Ferry was a small passenger ship about 34 m long and 6 m wide, built in 1990 at a shipyard in Gunsan. From October 1992 it made one round trip a day on the Wido–Gyeokpo route. For the residents of Wido, it was nearly the only means of transport to the mainland. Critics pointed out that it carried many passengers relative to the number of trips, that it was a small shipping company without government subsidies, and that the captain was forced to heed the shipowner. The day of the accident was a holiday, and sea anglers and people returning from a funeral held on Wido crowded the ship. Because tickets were sold on board, there was no accurate list of passengers.

Course of events

The Seohae Ferry departed Pajanggeum Port at about 9:40 a.m. At the time, winds of 10 to 14 m per second were blowing in the accident area, and wave heights are reported as 2 to 3 m (English Wikipedia) or 4 to 5 m (according to Seoul Shinmun reporting immediately after the accident). The weather was not severe enough to be prohibited from sailing under regulations, but the crew was reluctant to set out, and there is also a claim that some passengers demanded departure. At about 10:10 a.m., as gusts and waves intensified near Imsu Island, the ship turned its bow to return to Wido. At that moment, it was hit by a large wave from the side, tilted to the right, and capsized and sank in an instant. Contemporary reports said the ship sank in just over 10 seconds. Of the nine lifeboats, only two functioned properly.

Rescue and recovery

Fishing boats working nearby reported the distress and first pulled out more than 40 people. Full-scale search operations, using Coast Guard vessels, helicopters, and fishing boats, did not begin until about an hour later. By 10 p.m. that night, 70 people had been rescued and 51 bodies recovered. The number of missing was initially estimated at around 140, but as bodies continued to be recovered, the death toll rose sharply. The inadequate passenger count by the response headquarters and the Coast Guard's slow initial response were both criticized.

Shortly after the accident, rumors spread that the captain had survived and hidden on an island, and police even questioned residents. However, on 15 October, the bodies of the captain, chief engineer, and boatswain were found in the ship's radio room, showing that the rumor was false. The hull was lodged in mud 15 m below the sea surface. On 17 October, during salvage, the rope attached to the hull broke and the ship sank again. It was raised again on 27 October. On 2 November, the last missing person was confirmed, and the death toll was finalized at 292.