Inspectors, operators thrive on dirty ties

Investigations into the sunken ferry Sewol are revealing the extent of cronyism among ship owners and safety inspectors.

Allegations of this culture in play is behind a lax safety check of the Sewol ferry which went to sea on the evening of April 15 without important safety standards in place, said investigators.

Also, inspectors at the port are employed by the Korea Shipping Association (KSA), a private entity that represents the interests of the ship owner members, which the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries commissioned to carry out inspections.

In exchange, the KSA has a custom of reserving executive appointments at the association exclusively for retiring high-ranking ministry officials. The incumbent president of the KSA was a former second vice minister.

The close ties between crewmembers and the KSA has been described as “Marifia,” a portmanteau derived from maritime and mafia.

Prof. Kim Gil-soo, who teaches maritime transportation science at the Korea Maritime and Ocean University, finds this cozy relationship hardly surprising.

“They’re like a family. It’s hard for the KSA to make thorough inspections and a safety checks,” Kim said.

The focus of investigations into the Korean Register of Shipping is reportedly an inspection of the ship when it was renovated two years ago at the expense of safety.

Chonghaejin Marine is a member of the registry office and its chief is surnamed Kim who is in charge of the inspection of ships such as the Sewol. He is a retired ministry official.

There is a growing consensus that a thorough inspection could have prevented the tragedy, experts say.

Vehicles on the ferry were only tethered with two ropes, while four are required by ship safety standards for a passenger vehicle.

Prosecutors are looking into cargo containers, which are required to be properly secured on the deck to ensure they do not slide during a voyage.

Cargo and vehicles were loaded on the first and second decks of the ship, while passengers were on the third deck and above. The third deck is where most student passengers remained.

The ferry also gave false information on the number of vehicles and quantity of cargo it had on board.

A report submitted to the KSA says 150 vehicles and cargo weighing 667 tons were onboard, while the actual numbers were higher: 18 extra vehicles and containers weighing 1,157 tons.

An official at the ministry of oceans and fisheries said that although crewmembers are mainly responsible for using fewer ropes than required, the violation should have been noticed by an inspector whose job it is to make sure the tethering on vehicles and containers onboard a vessel meets standards. By Kim Se-jeong The korea times долгосрочные займы без проверки кредитной истории