ID :
177242
Fri, 04/22/2011 - 11:12
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https://oananews.org//node/177242
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Lee relieved after rescue of ship's entire crew despite pirate attack
SEOUL, April 22 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak appeared relieved when he heard the news that the whole crew of a South Korean-owned container ship was confirmed safe despite an attack from suspected Somali pirates, an aide said Friday.
All 20 sailors of the 75,000-ton Hanjin Tianjin were rescued unharmed Thursday evening (Korean time) after they took refuge in a fortified shelter, known as a "citadel," on the vessel just after pirates attacked the ship earlier in the day.
The crew consisted of 14 South Koreans and six Indonesians.
"After receiving the report that all the sailors were safe in a citadel, President Lee showed his relief visibly without making any particular comments," a senior presidential official said.
Following a report that the cargo ship could have been hijacked, Lee had instructed officials to make the crew's safety the top priority as they handled the incident. Lee's chief foreign affairs secretary, Chun Yung-woo, then held an emergency meeting of related officials and oversaw the situation.
Lee has since been kept updated on the situation, and his face brightened immediately after he received news that the sailors were safe, officials said.
"Though the president didn't issue any specific order, Cheong Wa Dae handled the incident calmly according to the crisis management manual," another official said. "We were able to avert what would have been big trouble because the crew had been well prepared."
The Panamanian-registered ship, owned by South Korea's Hanjin Shipping Co., was traveling from Spain to Singapore when it lost contact in waters some 400 kilometers east of the Yemeni island of Socotra near the Gulf of Aden.
A South Korean naval destroyer arrived at the scene about 12 hours later and commandos rescued the crew members. The naval unit, which has been in the region for anti-piracy operations, is also credited with rescuing a hijacked South Korean freighter in a daring raid in January.
jschang@yna.co.kr
All 20 sailors of the 75,000-ton Hanjin Tianjin were rescued unharmed Thursday evening (Korean time) after they took refuge in a fortified shelter, known as a "citadel," on the vessel just after pirates attacked the ship earlier in the day.
The crew consisted of 14 South Koreans and six Indonesians.
"After receiving the report that all the sailors were safe in a citadel, President Lee showed his relief visibly without making any particular comments," a senior presidential official said.
Following a report that the cargo ship could have been hijacked, Lee had instructed officials to make the crew's safety the top priority as they handled the incident. Lee's chief foreign affairs secretary, Chun Yung-woo, then held an emergency meeting of related officials and oversaw the situation.
Lee has since been kept updated on the situation, and his face brightened immediately after he received news that the sailors were safe, officials said.
"Though the president didn't issue any specific order, Cheong Wa Dae handled the incident calmly according to the crisis management manual," another official said. "We were able to avert what would have been big trouble because the crew had been well prepared."
The Panamanian-registered ship, owned by South Korea's Hanjin Shipping Co., was traveling from Spain to Singapore when it lost contact in waters some 400 kilometers east of the Yemeni island of Socotra near the Gulf of Aden.
A South Korean naval destroyer arrived at the scene about 12 hours later and commandos rescued the crew members. The naval unit, which has been in the region for anti-piracy operations, is also credited with rescuing a hijacked South Korean freighter in a daring raid in January.
jschang@yna.co.kr
