Chinese Ship Went on Sailing After Collision

The search continued for three days for survivors from the Korean 3,800-ton cargo vessel Golden Rose, which sank off Yantai in China`s Shandong Province, but no missing sailors were found.

A sailor of the Chinese container ship Jinsheng which collided with the Korean vessel said that they went on sailing after knowing their ship collided with Golden Rose, sparking suspicion that the accident was a “hit and run” case on the sea.

The Chinese authorities conducted a broad search of the area where the Korean ship sank for three days, into the night, in collaboration with the local governments of Shandong and Liaoning provinces, mobilizing some 50 ships and helicopters, infrared-ray telescopes and harbor radars. But they failed to find any bodies of missing Korean sailors.

Sailors on board Golden Rose included seven Koreans, including Captain Heo Yong-yoon (58), and 16 from Myanmar and Indonesia.

There Was a Sailor on the Deck When the Ships Collided-

After talking with a Jinsheng sailor identified as Lee who was detained in Dalian, a Chinese daily offered a detailed description of the collision.

Lee, who was in the cabin at the time of collision, said, “Around 3:00 a.m. (China time) on May 12, the ship was suddenly shaken and seemed to slow down. But it picked up speed again and just went on,” adding, “I didn’t think that our ship hit something, and didn’t know there was a collision until arriving in Dalian.”

He also said, “We heard there was a collision off Yantai after mechanics found damage to the head of the ship in Dalian. Our captain then immediately informed the maritime rescue center of the location of collision.” He added, “The sailor who was on the deck at the time of collision said, ‘The fog was so thick that I couldn’t see 150 meters ahead. Maybe the fog should be blamed for the collision.’”

Lee’s remark indicates that there was a sailor on the deck when the two ships collided, and the sailor knew the exact location of accident: 121 degrees 41 minutes 96 seconds east longitude and 28 degrees 14 minutes 41 seconds north latitude, according to the newspaper.

Victims’ Families Go to Yantai-

The maritime authorities of Shandong and Liaoning provinces formed a joint investigation team and have begun an investigation into what caused the accident.

The Liaoning maritime authorities detained the Jinsheng immediately after it arrived at Dalian at around 2:45 p.m. on May 12. It has been questioning the captain and sailors on why and how the collision happened, why they didn’t rescue the Golden Rose sailors or belatedly report the collision.

Meanwhile, the Korea Embassy in China said yesterday that it was officially demanding in a verbal and written request that the Chinese government investigate the reason for the delayed report and rescue and for the 20-hour delay in informing the Korean government of the accident.

A Korean embassy official said, “The Korean government was first informed of the accident by a Korean vessel company through the Korean maritime police, not by the Chinese government. And it was the Korean government who asked the Chinese government to confirm the accident. That is against international practice.”

Bookwang Shipping, which manages Golden Rose, said yesterday, “24 family members of the victims and an official will fly to Yantai by plane in the morning of May 15.”

The company said, “We were planning to visit the local maritime authorities with the family members, but the local authorities said that they would send an official to brief the family on the result of the investigation and further investigation plans.”

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