A Year After Sinking, South Korea Will Try to Salvage Sewol Ferry

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/23/world/asia/sewol-ferry-to-be-raised-south-korea-says.html

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SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea formally announced on Wednesday that it would try to raise the 6,825-ton ferry that sank more than a year ago, killing more than 300 people, most of them high school students.

The overloaded ferry Sewol capsized off the southwestern tip of South Korea last April, and it now lies on its side about 145 feet underwater. Rapid currents and poor visibility complicated the monthslong underwater search of the ship, which ended in November after 295 bodies were recovered.

Bereaved families have demanded salvaging the ship in hopes that the bodies of nine people still missing, including four teenage students, will be found inside.

Earlier this month, thousands of protesters, including family members of the victims, marched in downtown Seoul, the South Korean capital, to mark the anniversary of the sinking, some of them clashing with riot police officers spraying tear gas. A key demand from the protesters was the raising of the ferry, which they said would provide more clues on why the ship sank.

President Park Geun-hye agreed to the demand, ordering a feasibility study.

The government said on Wednesday that it had determined that it was technically possible to raise the ship. It said it would take 12 to 18 months and cost 100 billion to 150 billion won, or $92 million to $138 million, to salvage the ferry.

The Ministry of Public Safety and Security said divers would first drill 93 holes into the hull of the ferry to tie the ship to giant cranes. Then, the ship will be slowly lifted off the seafloor and moved into a submerged dock. By pumping air into the dock, engineers can then raise the dock with the ship above the water, the ministry said.

As South Korea has never raised such a large ship, ministry officials said they would seek the help of foreign salvage experts.