China group to salvage Sewol ferry A consortium led by China’s state-run Shanghai Salvage Company is preparing to raise the Sewol ferry that sank off South Korea’s southern coast in April 2014, killing more than 300 people ------------------------------------------------------------ MV SEWOL Passenger capacity 921 Length: 146m Launched: 1994 ------------------------------------------------------------ FERRY DISASTER TIMELINE, 2014: All timings local April 15, 21:00: Sewol leaves Incheon carrying 476 people, including 325 students on school trip April 16, 08:49: Makes scheduled turn oncourse for resort island of Jeju 08:51: Begins drifting back on itself and listing to port side 8:55: Crew makes distress call 09:40: Evacuation begins. Many passengers trappedby angle of ship’s list. Ferry sinks 11:00 Crane length 180m SALVAGE PLAN Offshore crane 10,000- tonne class Salvage team Approximately 200 workers employed, incuding 100 divers Two cranes needed to lift Sewol Crane shown smaller than actual size Sewol weight 8,500 tonnes Floating dock Ballast tanks allow deck to be raised or lowered to desired level -------------------------------------------------------------- Airbags installed and compressed air inserted into front of Sewol to raise bowby five degrees – allowing lifting frame to beplaced under hull Ship lies on its left side at depth of 47m Lifting frame 28m-long steel beams (24 in total) Beams connected with chains. Cranes lift hull by about 20m. Salvage company then moves ship 2km to safer area, away from strong tidal currents Sewol loaded onto floating dock which is positioned half underwater. Dock brings ship above surface using its own buoyancy, then travels 120km to South Korean port of Mokpo ------------------------------------------------------------- N. KOREA Seoul Incheon SOUTH KOREA Mokpo Yellow Sea (West Sea) 100km 60 miles Detail map Jeju Island Jindo Island Approximate route of ferry* Dadohaehaesang National Park 5km 3 miles Songdo Island Location of sinking Hajodo Island Byeongpung Island 08:30 08:40 08:48 08:52 200m 650ft Turn -------------------------------------------------------------- Sources: South Korean government, wire agencies *According to Automatic Identification System (AIS) data words 311