Gwangju: The first mate and helmsman suspected of accidentally grounding a ferry early this week appeared for a court hearing Saturday. The two crewmen, both in their 40s, were detained by the Coast Guard on Thursday on suspicion that they grounded a 26,546-ton ferry carrying 246 passengers and 21 crew members off the southwestern coast by not properly steering the ferry while on duty.
According to Yonhap News Agency, after arriving at the Gwangju District Court's Mokpo branch, some 310 kilometers south of Seoul, for the hearing on their arrest warrant, the first mate said he was "very sorry for causing harm to the passengers." He added that he feels "especially sorry" for a pregnant woman who was among the 30 passengers injured and had to undergo hospital treatment.
Addressing suspicions that the first mate looked at his phone during the time of the accident, he said he briefly checked Naver, an internet portal site, but manually controlled the ferry during course changes. The helmsman of Indonesian nationality did not comment on questions from reporters.