South Korea said Wednesday it will widen the scope of punishment for overloading cargo on ships, which has been pinpointed as the main cause of last year’s fatal sinking of Sewol ferry in a government probe.
The Corruption Eradication Unit under the Prime Minister’s Office said it has suggested the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries revise a law related to retaining a ship’s static stability.
“While a strict restriction on a ship’s static stability is necessary to prevent accidents like capsizing, the current law prohibits (authorities) from punishing the captain and actual operators of the vessel,” said an official from the CEU. The plan is to expand the scope of punishment to the captain and actual operators of the ship instead of just the owner.
If a ship is found to have failed to maintain its static stability by carrying more cargo or less ballast water than regulated, the ship’s owner, operator and the captain will be subject to punishment. They can face up to three years in prison or 30 million won ($27,490) in fine.
“In Sewol’s case, the ship’s owner and the operator were the same. But the CEU pointed out that the punishment would be complicated if this wasn’t the case, and we accepted (the proposition),” said an official from the Oceans Ministry. He explained that while punishment of the ship’s operators and captains is possible, the process is complicated as it is not stipulated in the actual law.
When the Sewol tilted over and sank on April 16, 2014 ― leaving over 300 dead or missing ―- it had been carrying too much cargo and not enough ballast water for it to remain stable, a December report by the Korean Maritime Safety Tribunal had shown. This caused the ship to topple when it rapidly changed course during its voyage toward Jejudo Island.
The revision to the regulation on ships’ static stability is one of the CEU’s plans for improving safety, which is a follow-up on the government investigation on safety-related corruption cases that was initiated by the Sewol tragedy.
These plans aim to close legal loopholes and step up punishment for employees who may endanger the safety of citizens, officials said. They include: toughening punishment on facility managers disabling fire-fighting systems; illegal renovation on freight trucks and lorries that allow them to exceed the maximum speed limit; and implementing punishment for employees at aqua-leisure facilities.
By Yoon Min-sik ()
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
