Sewol recovery leaves unique trail for Chinese veteran diver
The recovery of the South Korean sunken ferry has been an unprecedented challenge that gave the veteran salvage team many "first" experiences, the chief diver involved in the project said Sunday.
"I have dived about 6,000 times, spent some 30,000 hours of my life in water, but the Sewol operation has been somewhat different," Jin Feng, the head of diving unit of the Shanghai Salvage, told Yonhap News Agency in an interview on Sunday.
Jin Feng, the head of the company's diving unit, on April 9, 2017. (Shanghai Salvage)
The Chinese salvaging firm has worked with the South Korean government since August 2015 to recover the 6,800-ton ship from the seabed. The ferry capsized in waters off the southwestern tip of Jindo Island on April 16, 2014, killing 304 people on board with nine of them still unaccounted for.
The sinking of the Sewol ferry has been the worst maritime disaster in the country's history. Most of the victims were high school students en route to the resort island of Jeju on a school trip. Alleged inaction and unclear whereabouts of former President Park Geun-hye at the time of the sinking were some of the key issues that triggered moves for her impeachment.
The 51-year-old veteran has led a team of some 100 professional divers in the herculean operation. The Shanghai Salvage used two large barges to lift the wreck from the bottom of the sea.
"The seawater here is extremely cold and the water's very muddy, which has made our job much harder," he said, as he recalled the first time he went into the water. "The ship had already been under water for so long that much of it was already being corroded and full of marine animals."
The coast near Jindo Island is notorious for its fast and unpredictable current. Jin said his team had to get ready at least two hours before the low tide came, which only lasted for a short while throughout the operation.
"We wore diving suits that had been inserted with hot water to extend the time in water as long as possible."
On Sunday, the government said the vessel, which now weighs some 17,000 tons due to water and mud inside, has been moved on land, three weeks after it was raised from the seabed.
The Sewol operation has been not only an extremely risky job but gave many first experiences even for the veteran divers, Jin said.
"We've never had a ship that was lifted intact, lying tilted on the ground because usually we place a wreck upright before raising it. It was also the first time for us to cover every window and door of the ship with nets to prevent any losses."
Despite the hardship, Jin expressed confidence in his work and team, saying that he would not hesitate to take part again if he went back two years and was asked to do the job.
"I'm sure I'd say yes if I was asked to do it again. I believe we can do it." (Yonhap)
"I have dived about 6,000 times, spent some 30,000 hours of my life in water, but the Sewol operation has been somewhat different," Jin Feng, the head of diving unit of the Shanghai Salvage, told Yonhap News Agency in an interview on Sunday.
The Chinese salvaging firm has worked with the South Korean government since August 2015 to recover the 6,800-ton ship from the seabed. The ferry capsized in waters off the southwestern tip of Jindo Island on April 16, 2014, killing 304 people on board with nine of them still unaccounted for.
The sinking of the Sewol ferry has been the worst maritime disaster in the country's history. Most of the victims were high school students en route to the resort island of Jeju on a school trip. Alleged inaction and unclear whereabouts of former President Park Geun-hye at the time of the sinking were some of the key issues that triggered moves for her impeachment.
The 51-year-old veteran has led a team of some 100 professional divers in the herculean operation. The Shanghai Salvage used two large barges to lift the wreck from the bottom of the sea.
"The seawater here is extremely cold and the water's very muddy, which has made our job much harder," he said, as he recalled the first time he went into the water. "The ship had already been under water for so long that much of it was already being corroded and full of marine animals."
The coast near Jindo Island is notorious for its fast and unpredictable current. Jin said his team had to get ready at least two hours before the low tide came, which only lasted for a short while throughout the operation.
"We wore diving suits that had been inserted with hot water to extend the time in water as long as possible."
On Sunday, the government said the vessel, which now weighs some 17,000 tons due to water and mud inside, has been moved on land, three weeks after it was raised from the seabed.
The Sewol operation has been not only an extremely risky job but gave many first experiences even for the veteran divers, Jin said.
"We've never had a ship that was lifted intact, lying tilted on the ground because usually we place a wreck upright before raising it. It was also the first time for us to cover every window and door of the ship with nets to prevent any losses."
Despite the hardship, Jin expressed confidence in his work and team, saying that he would not hesitate to take part again if he went back two years and was asked to do the job.
"I'm sure I'd say yes if I was asked to do it again. I believe we can do it." (Yonhap)
(责任编辑:新闻中心)
相关内容
- I Deleted All My Social Accounts: Three Weeks Without Social Media
- 绗笁灞娾€滄偊浜嵆澧ㄢ€濆叏姘戣涔︽椿鍔ㄩ棴骞 浜斾釜鏈堢疮璁′妇鍔?00浣欏満璇讳功娲诲姩
- 庆祝中俄建交70周年青少年美术作品交流展开幕
- 《大宋少年志》正在热映 青岛演员文俊珽“改头换面”演忠臣
- Best tablet deals as of August 27
- How 3D Game Rendering Works: Texturing
- 首届中国影视后期产业“金海鸥奖”在青岛颁出
- 鈥滈潚娓惡鎵 閲戣瀺璧嬭兘鈥?022闈掑矝甯備紒涓氳荡棣欐腐铻嶈祫鍚堜綔浜ゆ祦浼氭垚鍔熶妇鍔瀇涓浗灞变笢缃慱闈掑矝
- 鍐滆闈掑矝鍒嗚7澶╂巿淇?9.10浜匡紝鍔╁姏宕傚北鍖哄煄甯傛洿鏂癬涓浗灞变笢缃慱闈掑矝
- Military prosecutors indict intel official over leaking 'black agent' info
- 乐者朗朗,乐在乐都 7月17日郎朗携爱妻青岛“弹琴说爱”
- 青岛西海岸新区金沙滩啤酒城国际化演艺精彩纷呈
- 【官方发布】《心驰崂山》宣传片震撼来袭!
推荐文章
-
Tesla reveals Cybertruck has sold more than DeLorean
If you want to know how many Cybertrucks Tesla has sold, just wait for the next recall. Two months a ...[详细] -
中国山东网青岛7月7日讯(记者 姜婷) 音乐、沙滩、海风……绵绵的夏日细雨依然阻挡不了乐迷的热情。7月6日,青岛凤凰音乐节在青岛西海岸新区精彩亮相,近2万人集聚凤凰之声大 ...[详细]
-
中国山东网-感知山东7月20日讯 为深化青岛“人才特区”建设,加快人才集聚,近日,青岛高新区出台《青岛高新区关于振兴实体经济进一步推动“人才特区”建设的 ...[详细]
-
中国山东网青岛7月7日讯(记者 姜婷) 音乐、沙滩、海风……绵绵的夏日细雨依然阻挡不了乐迷的热情。7月6日,青岛凤凰音乐节在青岛西海岸新区精彩亮相,近2万人集聚凤凰之声大 ...[详细]
-
Yoon, US Senate's armed service committee chief discuss alliance, N.K. threats
President Yoon Suk Yeol (right) shakes hands with Sen. Jack Reed, chairman of the US Senate's a ...[详细] -
5日17时30分,一阵警笛声中,一辆来自震中泸定县的救护车驶进市人民医院四川大学华西医院雅安医院)。神经外科、急诊科、ICU……市人民医院急诊科外,医护人员严阵以待,准备接诊来自泸定县的第一批地震病人 ...[详细]
-
中国山东网青岛5月21日讯(记者 杨广科) 近日,故宫学院院长、中国文物学会会长单霁翔走进即墨古城大讲堂,作了题为“匠者仁心——让文化遗产资源活起来”的 ...[详细]
-
记者从5月11日举行的青岛海洋国际音乐季发布会上获悉,本届音乐季将于今年8月2日在青岛隆重开幕,以“顶级原创”、“海洋之音·城市之心”为核 ...[详细]
-
Weather update for second Pak vs Ban second Test match day one
ListentoarticleThe second Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh, part of the ICC World Test Champions ...[详细] -
今天一大早,青岛集邮爱好者就聚集在青岛市集邮公司热河路营业厅,排队抢购《庚子年》特种邮票。据青岛市集邮公司负责人介绍,今天,中国邮政特发行《庚子年》特种邮票1套2枚,全套邮票面值2.40元。另发行小本 ...[详细]
热点阅读
随机内容