South Korea Ferry Grounding: Why Two Sailors Face Arrest Over Phone Use

The first mate, in his 40s, and the helmsman, an Indonesian national in his 40s, were apprehended Thursday after the 26,546-ton Queen Jenuvia II carrying 246 passengers and 21 crew members ran aground at an uninhabited islet off the coast of Sinan, 366 kilometers south of Seoul, the previous night, Yonhap news agency reported.

The two are accused of causing the grounding accident by not properly steering the ferry while doing something else outside of work, according to the Mokpo Coast Guard in charge of the probe.

The first mate, suspected of looking at his phone at the time of the accident, was supposed to change course about 1,600 meters away from the accident site but failed to do so, the Coast Guard said.

The helmsman tasked with directly operating the key or manually changing the automatic navigation device, reportedly stated he was looking at the gyrocompass inside the wheelhouse.

The Coast Guard said it will also book the ship's captain, in his 60s, who is accused of staying outside the wheelhouse at the time of the accident, on charges of violating the Seafarers Act.

The ferry was en route to the port city of Mokpo after departing from the southern island of Jeju. None of the passengers were seriously injured, but some were taken to hospitals after complaining of mild pains or nervous breakdowns.

- IANS