Staying with the massive salvaging efforts, we have our Kim Ji-yeon with us in the studio
to provide a more thorough data on what's being done as we speak.
Ji-yeon, could you walk us through the overall operation.
The aim of the salvage process here today is to try to pull the ferry up so that about
13 meters of the hull is above water.
If today's operation goes well... the next step is to tether the ferry to two jacking
barges using a series of cables.
The three vessels will move as one... so it's important that they're tied together tightly.
This process is expected to take at least 12 hours.
After that, they have to pull up the anchor and move the vessel to another ship equipped
with a semi-submersible platform.
Another day will be spent removing the equipment used for the operation... and the next day
will be mainly about isolating the ferry from the jacking barge.
After that, it's going to take another three days to pin the Sewol-ho to the semi-submersible
platform...so that the vessel doesn't shift while it's being moved to the closest port
in Mokpo,... some 87 kilometers away,... which will take another day or so.
And then it'll take another day to move the ferry on to dry land and away from the port.
All in all, the whole process is expected to take at least two weeks from today.
But that's barring any unseen variables, and there was already a delay earlier in the day
when the wires between the jacking barge and the ferry got too close together for the operation
to continue.
One big question on many people's minds.
Why the government didn't pull the ferry up sooner.
Why did it take them three years?
We're talking about a vessel that weighs about 85-hundred tons... and it's not something
the government can do on its own.
It took several months to deal with the administrative processes,... including vetting the companies
that would eventually oversee the salvage operation.
It also took time to complete the preparatory work underwater... that involved divers going
in and out of the sunken ferry to assess the situation... and remove any unnecessary debris
around it.
They also put a net around the vessel and put barriers over any openings made during
the search and rescue operation...
so that no items will be lost when the ferry is pulled out of the water.
Throughout all of this, favorable weather and tide conditions have been critical...
during the preparatory stage... as they are now.
The salvage operation is significant, not just because it's long overdue.
But the ship itself will provide some crucial chunks of evidence to help get to the bottom
of the tragic incident.
The operation is a means to an end to point us to what led the ferry to capsize in the
first place... with the ferry itself expected to serve as a blackbox.
I remember when I was covering the ferry incident three years ago...
there were many theories as to what had led to the ferry to sink.
Authorities have said that the vessel was carrying too much cargo... and that the containers
weren't properly tied up... so if the vessel made an abrupt turn, perhaps due to the inexperienced
officer at the helm, the contents could have shifted to one side and that could have led
the vessel to tilt and eventually capsize.
Other theories include the possibility of a collision with something in the water...
or an explosion... or maybe improper modifications to the cargo area.
It's all speculation at this point... and it's important to find out what caused the
tragedy... in order to prevent similar catastrophes from occurring in
the future.
Thanks Ji-yeon for the report.