Container Ship Sailed Away After Collision With Korean Ship

Chinese marine authorities announced on May 15 that they confirmed that a Chinese container ship Jinsung did not take any measured after crashing into the Korean ship “Golden Rose.”

According to China’s official news agency, Xinhua, an official from the Chinese Ministry of transportation in Yentai, which is in charge of the spot that accident took place, met with families of the missing Korean crew and said that officials from Sandunglufung, the managing company of the Jinsung, admitted of the fact. The official announced, “The Jinsung should have sent an SOS in accordance with international customary marine law, but it didn’t.”

The Jinsung left the scene without taking any measures before and after the accident, and Chinese marine authorities officially confirmed that the ship reported the accident eight hours and 40 minutes later for the first time after the accident took place.

In response, the Federation of Korean Seafarers’ union held a press conference in front of the Chinese consulate in Haeundae, Busan on May 16 asking for strong punishment against the ship’s crew and an official apology, saying that “The Jinsung committed an unpardonable act by reporting the accident only when it arrived at a port and just running away after causing the accident.”

Meanwhile, Korea and China have jointly searched for two days around the spot where the Golden Rose sank, but have not found any of missing crew.

Yoo Yeon-sik, captain of the ship Jeamin 7, talked to Dong-A on an international satellite phone, saying, “We have searched the spot in consultation with the Chinese authorities with patrol ships with thermal observation devices and an observation balloon for 24 hours. As soon as the weather clears up, we will start searching the sunken ship.”

kchwang@donga.com