[Op-ed] Diving bell, a nuisance

More than 200 ships and boats float in waters where the ferry Sewol sank. At a spot around the bow section of the sunken ferry, two orange air balloons are floating on water, and divers jump into water from the “Libero,” a barge right by the balloons, to search people who remain missing. Divers with the Navy and the Korea Coast Guard hold up six underwater guidelines (ropes that enable divers to enter the vessel under the sea) linked to the Sewol, as they carry out search operation. As a group of two divers use a guideline, up to 12 divers can work simultaneously.

Infuriated by delays in search and rescue efforts, family members of the missing Sewol passengers seized and demanded Korea Coast Guard chief Kim Seok-gyun last week to deploy a diving bell. A diving bell taking after a bell is likened to an underwater elevator, which enables divers to stay underwater longer per dive. Divers can enter the diving bell and take brief rest as well while conducting underwater mission. Use of a diving bell was expected to increase the duration of each search session, but deploying a diving bell entails highly sophisticated conditions. Family members of the missing pressured Kim to have a diving bell deployed after hearing from Lee Jong-in, head of Alpha Diving Technology, who claimed, “A diving bell could accelerate rescue.” Lee was the person who claimed the South Korean naval corvette Cheonan hit an object when it sank near the disputed area off the west coast four years ago.

Lee attempted to deploy a diving bell for three days, to no avail. Amid strong current, anchor ropes from his ship struck ropes from the barge “Libero,” and messed around with the guidelines, which are de facto lifelines for the divers. The divers almost faced a serious accident. A diving bell could also be swept away by current.

The Navy possesses a personnel transfer capsule (PTC), or deep sea diving equipment, that boasts superior performance to the diving bell, but cannot afford to deploy it. In 1999, the Cheonghaejin battleship equipped with PTC pulled up a submersible vehicle from North Korea, which sank 157 meters deep on sea bottom in the South Sea. Did Lee make a groundless claim that the diving bell enables divers to continue diving mission for 20 consecutive hours irrespective of the strength of current? It seems that there were also some conflicts between Alpha and divers from the barge Libero, who felt danger in their own safety. Family members of the missing people, who would wish to take whatever chance, would feel hugely disappointed. In any case, it is hoped that self-claimed experts do not attempt to exploit the pain and fear of the families, causing confusion in the rescue efforts.

Editorial Writer Choi Yeong-hae (yhchoi65@donga.com)