Accident investigators of the South Korean Government have determined that a number of structural issues contributed to the loss of the Ro-Pax ferry Sewol and 299 of its passengers on April 16, 2014.
Poor stability and a steering system malfunction were revealed as causes for the loss during a special investigative panel that was concluded in November 2024, the Korea Maritime Safety Tribunal said on Monday, April 14.
The panel members ruled out the possibility that the capsizing and sinking of Sewol was caused by a collision or any other external factor, as there had been "no credible evidence" to suggest that such an event occurred on the said date.
The ferry had made an abrupt turn, which the panel members said was caused by the steering system malfunction and not by any action on the part of the helm operator. Although not identified as the sole cause, the abrupt turn has been determined to be a significant factor in the incident.
An investigation conducted in 2018 showed that a solenoid valve in one of the steering gear pumps had become stuck, resulting in the malfunction.
The panel also determined that Sewol underwent extensive structural modifications to enable it to accommodate additional passengers. This then resulted in the ferry's centre of gravity being raised.
With a higher centre of gravity, the vessel suffered from decreased stability, which meant it could not carry as much cargo as it did before the modifications were made.
Investigators added that the onboard cargo at the time of the incident had not been properly secured, and the abrupt turn caused the cargo to shift. The ferry then tilted heavily to one side, causing flooding and the eventual capsize.
A court in Seoul had earlier cleared ten Korea Coast Guard officials of any wrongdoing in connection with the incident, as they had no adequate information to order the evacuation of Sewol's passengers during the first few minutes of the vessel's sinking.
The coast guard officials also had no way of knowing that the passengers would be abandoned by the ferry's crew.
Evidence presented in court revealed that Sewol's captain had sent out a radio message falsely claiming that an evacuation order had been given to the passengers. However, some of the survivors testified that they had been ordered by the crew to remain in their cabins even as the sinking became inevitable.
The crew left the ship despite the knowledge that the passengers were still on board, the survivors added.