According to reports from local authorities, the Korea Coast Guard is pursuing an arrest warrant for the captain of the Queen Jenuvia II following a serious incident last Wednesday. The passenger ferry ran aground near Shinan County, resulting in injuries to 30 individuals among the 267 passengers and crew on board.
The captain, a man in his sixties, faces allegations of gross negligence leading to injury and violations of maritime regulations. Investigators revealed that he had left the wheelhouse unattended while navigating through a particularly narrow and hazardous channel.
The Queen Jenuvia II, weighing 26,546 tons and en route from Jeju to Mokpo, collided with Jok Island at approximately 8:16 p.m. This area is classified under maritime law as requiring direct oversight by the captain during critical navigation phases such as entering or exiting ports or traversing risky waters.
Reports indicate that operational protocols for the ferry explicitly state that this channel necessitates constant supervision by the captain. At the time of grounding, there were 246 passengers along with 21 crew members aboard. Rescue efforts were executed swiftly within three hours and ten minutes after distress signals were sent out; however, medical attention was required for those injured.
Earlier actions taken by authorities included detaining both the first officer and helmsman-both in their forties-on similar charges of gross negligence leading to injury. Investigations disclosed that they failed to make timely course adjustments which ultimately led to this unfortunate collision with land.
The first officer admitted he had been distracted by his mobile phone just moments before impact while relying on autopilot instead of manually navigating through these treacherous waters. He realized too late that they had veered off course-only thirteen seconds prior to hitting land-and attempted a last-minute correction which proved futile as they approached Jok Island directly ahead.
In statements made before his pre-trial hearing, he expressed remorse over causing harm during this incident-including injuries sustained by a pregnant passenger who was affected during evacuation efforts.
The helmsman refrained from commenting publicly but indicated that it was primarily up to the first officer to monitor their position accurately throughout their journey; he noted that when given instructions regarding rudder adjustments it was already too late for effective action against impending collision with land.
This past Sunday saw preliminary findings released following an inspection conducted alongside experts from Korean Register and National Forensic Service confirming no structural issues existed within ferry operations nor mechanical failures contributed towards grounding events.
Authorities continue their investigation into how these events unfolded leading up to this accident along with evaluating crew responses throughout this ordeal.
