The "Sewol" was unloaded from the "White Marlin" and rolled onto a dock in the Mokpo New Port in South Jeolla on Apr 9, where it will be examined to pin down the causes of its capsizing and searched for remains of nine victims and personal effects of all 304 killed. 600 modular transporters slid under the wreck and were able to withstand its weight. They started moving the wreck from 1 p.m. Workers slowly added compressed air into the ballast tanks of the semi-submersible ship carrying the ferry as the tide ebbed, keeping the ship level with the dock throughout the operation. The 600 modular transporters, each able to hold 40 tons, moved at a speed of some 20 to 30 meters per hour. The ferry was completely on land by 5:30 p.m. The supporting materials for the ferry from the semi-submersible ship were transported onto a designated spot at the port. The whole process, of moving the ferry onto land, moving the supporters onto land, and placing the ferry on the supporters, ended around 10 p.m. The workers found 20 animal bone pieces and 101 personal effects of passengers as of Apr 9, including a cell phone, clothing and bags. One of the bags was confirmed to have belonged to a Danwon High School student - one of 250 who died - who was identified by a school name tag in the bag. Due to concerns about the structural integrity of the ferry, there has been a change in plan. Initially, the "Sewol" was to be placed on support brackets with the deck facing the dock side, but officials have decided to keep it where it was now after they discovered some structural alterations of the ferry which could have occurred while it was being moved onto land or when it was salvaged due to the vessel's weak structure. As there was a possibility of further damage if the vessel was moved further, it was decided to secure the vessel at its current location. The Oceans Ministry and Shanghai Salvage will clean the ferry of remaining muck and oil. Workers will test whether it is safe for them to enter the vessel by sending in a robot first. On Apr 8 workers had entered the ferry and advanced for 24 meters from the bow toward the stern, before retreating from the ferry within an hour over fear of debris falling on them. The walls, made out of sandwich panels, have collapsed as the styrofoam material broke apart in the water. They saw some bags and other articles inside but didn’t attempt to pull them out for fear that the remains of the walls and other structures may fall on them. Korea Salvage will be working with the Sewol investigation committee to retrieve the articles in a careful manner. The ferry will be placed in a fenced-off area measuring some 30,000 square-meters set apart for the investigation, cleaning and identifying articles found inside the vessel. An underwater investigation of the seabed where the ferry lay from April 16, 2014, to March 22, 2016, when the ferry was lifted from the seabed, also commenced at 12:25 p.m. 31 divers will take turns searching in pairs for remains or personal articles of the passengers.
ACCIDENTS
10 April 2017 - 14:00
Update: 11 April 2017 - 09:18
Ferry Sewol shifted from White Marlin to port area
Ferry shifted from White Marlin to port area
ACCIDENTS
10 April 2017 - 14:00
Update: 11 April 2017 - 09:18
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