Queen Zenobia 2 grounding exposes lapses in maritime safety

The captain of the large passenger ship S, which once connected Jeju and Mokpo in South Jeolla Province, gave an interview to a media outlet in 2015, the year after the Sewol ferry disaster. The topic was how seriously he took safety as a captain. Mentioning the Sewol several times, he said, “Where there is a problem is precisely where the captain should be,” and added, “There have been no dangerous moments since the S began operations.” He emphasized that the S was different from the Sewol.

The shock of the disaster had not yet faded. Moreover, the S had a maximum capacity of 921 passengers, roughly double that of the Sewol. The captain said he had pressed the shipping company on the need for safety training for both passengers and crew. It was a responsibility expected of any captain of a large passenger vessel. In practice, while the S experienced minor mechanical issues, there were no accidents causing casualties.

The reason the captain went so far as to give an interview at that time likely had to do with the captain of the Sewol, Lee Joon-seok. Lee did not give passengers an evacuation order when the Sewol disaster occurred. The infamous broadcast telling passengers to “stay still” discouraged them from escaping. On top of that, Lee himself abandoned the Sewol as it was sinking. Overloading of cargo, disregard for safety, and crew negligence combined to cause the deaths of 304 people.

Time dulls memories. Yet some people must not let such memories fade. Those responsible for safety especially cannot afford to forget. However, at least on the night of Nov. 19, the captain of the S, who had previously mentioned the Sewol in an interview, seemed to have no recollection of the disaster. At that time, he was the captain of the Queen Zenobia 2, which ran aground in Jokdo, South Jeolla, carrying 267 passengers.

In the narrow strait where the accident occurred, the principle is not to use autopilot for safety, yet the Queen Zenobia 2 was not navigated manually and ultimately ran aground. Police reported that the captain was resting in the captain’s quarters rather than the bridge at the time of the accident and applied for a pretrial warrant. The captain claimed he had briefly left his post due to digestive issues, but crew members testified that he had not come to the bridge during more than 1,000 voyages.

He was not the only one. The first mate said, “The ship was set to autopilot while we watched the news.” The helmsman, who was supposed to be alone at the wheel, did not turn the vessel away from Jokdo as it approached.

While the facts must be confirmed through investigation, multiple witnesses said that announcements to passengers were made late. Evidence suggests that a significant number of crew members failed to perform their duties. Safety complacency has changed little, even after the Sewol disaster.

The lesson the Queen Zenobia 2 crew forgot ironically reminded many people of the Sewol. Not only passengers on the Queen Zenobia 2 but countless South Koreans watching breaking news recalled the morning of April 16, 2014. Fortunately, no disaster occurred this time. Yet it became clear that some people in our society responsible for safety had forgotten the Sewol.

Some may feel they have not forgotten the lessons of the disaster because the memories remain vivid. For them, one passage from the captain’s 2015 interview may resonate. He said he remembered the events clearly, as his ship had been at sea alongside the Sewol as it sank. “Although we were far away, I listened to the radio thinking we should help the passengers. The nearby ships that arrived first told us there was no one to rescue,” he recalled. Eleven years later, even those who tried to save Sewol passengers have been swallowed by the fog of forgetfulness.