Sewol fully emerged from the water on deck of White Marlin
The "Sewol" fully emerged from the water on March 25 showing its entire hull nearly a day after being loaded onto the semisubmersible vessel "White Marlin". It had taken more than seven hours for the "Sewol" to make the 3-kilometer journey up from where it sank to the rendezvous area after the upper part of the hull was raised some 13 meters out of the sea at 11:10 a.m. on March 24. The journey took longer than expected as it took time to change the direction of the convoy in accordance with the sea currents before moving toward the semisubmersible ship. It was a delicate task, as the balance of the ropes linking them together had to be steadily maintained. The semisubmersible ship buoyed up to lift the entire Sewol ferry off the surface of the water as of 9:15 p.m. Salvage crews were stepping up work to drain water and oil from the ferry, which is expected to arrive at the port of Mokpo, about 90 kilometers away, as early as March 29. It will take three to five days to complete preparations including the drainage work. A search for the bodies of nine missing passengers expected to still be inside the wreck will begin when the ship arrives. Prior to the inspection, the ship will go through technical and off-load preparations which may take 3-4 days. Another one full day will be needed to move the ship to the quay located inside the port, by placing rail-like transporters underneath the ferry. Moving the ship into the quay area is another tricky part not only due to its massive weight, but since it must be transported carefully without getting damaged. The "Sewol" alone would weigh 8,300 metric tons, but, with water, stones and sand inside, the wreckage would be a lot heavier, weighing up to 20,000 metric tons. The ferry will be ready for inspection by April 1. In case the missing nine bodies are not found inside the ship, the rest of the workers will continue to search underwater. Forty 40-by-20-meter nets have been installed around the area where it was lying before the recovery.
