Innocence of Korean Register Employees in the Hull Inspection of the Sunken Stella Daisy Ship

On May 9, 2018, a citizen is signing a petition at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul, urging the search for the missing crew members of the Stella Daisy and the investigation of the truth. Photo by Mo Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] A hull inspector from the Korean Register who inspected the Stella Daisy ship, which sank in the Atlantic Ocean in 2017 with 22 crew members missing, was acquitted in the first trial.

According to the legal community on the 23rd, the Criminal Division 5 of the Busan District Court (Chief Judge Kwon Ki-cheol) acquitted inspector A from the Korean Register, who was indicted for violating the Ship Safety Act.

The court ruled this way on the grounds that it was difficult to see that A violated regulations and conducted a false inspection.

Previously, A was indicted on charges of conducting a hull inspection without properly entering each cargo hold to check for structural defects such as corrosion, deformation, destruction, and damage during the annual inspection of the Stella Daisy in August 2016, and of preparing a false report.

The Stella Daisy sank in the South Atlantic in March 2017 while sailing from Brazil to China carrying iron ore. Of the 24 crew members, only 2 were rescued, and the remaining 22 went missing.

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