Sewol Rudder

[Anchor Lead]

Last year when the Sewol ferry was salvaged from the sea, it was found the angle of the rudder had changed. That raised issues because the rudder is a vital piece of information to determine the cause of the ferry's sinking. KBS has uncovered evidence indicating the rudder was shifted during the salvage process.

[Pkg]

The Sewol ferry's rudder was nearly in a horizontal position at the time of its sinking. Prosecutors determined that there was no malfunction in the steering equipment based on this image during the trial of the Sewol ferry crew members. However the court delayed drawing a conclusion and called for a reinvestigation. The situation now requires the steering equipment, including the rudder, to be re-examined from square one. However, when the ferry was salvaged from underwater, the rudder was slanted by a ten degree angle to the starboard side of the ship. Close filming by KBS has discovered traces of strong forces applied on the edge of the rudder. Considering that the paint was peeled off and creases were left on the iron plating, it's believed that something such as an iron wire had pushed up the rudder. This differs from the Oceans Ministry's explanation a year ago that argued the shift in the rudder's angle was not caused during the salvage process. It still remains a mystery why wire marks are left on the rudder when the wires used in the salvage process were wrapped around the hull and supposedly safely away from the rudder.