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2014-04-16 · Byeongpungdo Island, off Jindo County, South Korea · Ro-ro passenger ferry · South Korea flag
The Korean-flagged ro-ro passenger ferry Sewol capsized during a sharp course-change manoeuvre off Byeongpungdo Island at 08:52 on 16 April 2014, en route from Incheon to Jeju. Cargo — including improperly-secured vehicles + construction materials — shifted violently in the turn, causing a rapid list that rendered the vessel unrecoverable within 100 minutes. 304 deaths, of which 250 were secondary-school students on a class trip. The Master + several crew abandoned ship before passengers were evacuated; the master received a 36-year sentence for murder by wilful negligence. Korean investigation concluded illegal ship modifications reducing GM, cargo overloading, and improper cargo lashing were all direct causes.
Sewol is the modern touchstone for master's criminal accountability + passenger-vessel evacuation authority. Every Korean + international ro-ro operator now trains against the Sewol sequence: crew's obligation to evacuate passengers before self-preservation is a criminal legal duty, not a moral option.
Direct + fundamental reform of Korean coastal-shipping regulation + Korean Maritime Safety Tribunal (KMST) casualty investigation framework. Prosecution of shipowner (Cheonghaejin) executives + criminal conviction of Master. IMO MSC.1/Circ.1489 revised ro-ro passenger-vessel-stability guidance cited Sewol.