The Mokpo branch of the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office said on the 23rd that it indicted three people under arrest, including the captain A, 65, the first mate B, 39, and the Indonesian helmsman C, 39, of the large car ferry passenger ship Queen Jenuvia II, on charges including Injury by Gross Negligence for causing a grounding accident on an uninhabited island that injured passengers.
They are accused of colliding with Jukdo, an uninhabited island, at about 8:16 p.m. on the 19th while sailing in waters near Sinan County, South Jeolla Province. Forty-seven passengers on the ferry were injured in the accident.
The investigation found that Captain A not only failed to take command in dangerous waters that required direct steering, but also did not properly monitor navigational equipment from the captain's cabin.
First mate B also missed the timing to change course because B was looking at a cellphone and not watching ahead, and helmsman C likewise failed to keep a lookout while the vessel was on automatic steering and did not realize until just before the collision that the ferry was closing in on Jukdo.
Prosecutors said, "It was an accident that could have been prevented if even one person had kept a lookout ahead," adding, "We will do our utmost to sustain the charges so that appropriate punishment is imposed on those responsible for the accident."