Passenger ship with 267 people on board runs aground, navigator says ”I was looking at my smartphone...” (South Korea)

The chief mate of the passenger ship Queen Zenubia II, carrying 267 people, ran aground while looking at his smartphone and driving while distracted.
On the 22nd, at 2:00 pm, the Gwangju District Court in South Korea held a hearing on the first mate, who is facing an arrest warrant for the crime of causing injury through gross negligence (gross negligence resulting in injury).
A warrant review will be conducted for the officer A (40) and the helmsman B (41), who is of Indonesian nationality. A boarded an escort vehicle from the Mokpo Coast Guard detention center at around 1:43 pm on the same day.
In response to a question from reporters about what he was looking at on his phone, Mr. A said, "I was looking at Naver a little bit," and added, "I don't remember exactly how many times I looked at it, but maybe once or twice."
He continued, "Even though it was a dangerous waterway, were you always using the automatic navigation system?" to which he replied, "No. We only used the automatic navigation system on the straight sections, and we only used it on the course change points.
"We will operate the plane manually," he explained. Mr. A said, "I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to those who were surprised and injured by my mistake. In particular, there was a pregnant woman on board.
"I feel even more sorry for that person. I pray that she will have a safe delivery and that she will have a safe baby," she said, bowing her head. Finally, she added, "I'm sorry for causing trouble to so many people."
Mr. A, wearing black clothing and a hat, entered the courtroom with his face covered with glasses and a mask. Mr. A and others were arrested at around 8:17 pm on the 19th of this month at Shinan, Jeollanam-do.
He is suspected of running aground while looking at his smartphone while sailing in the sea near An County. All 267 passengers were rescued, but about 30 passengers died.
He suffered minor injuries. A, who was in charge of the wheelhouse at the time, was looking at his cell phone and recognized the danger 13 seconds before the collision with the uninhabited island, according to an investigation by the Coast Guard. A panicked and ran to B.
Although they gave instructions to Mr. B to steer, they were unable to prevent the accident. Mr. B denied responsibility, saying, "It is the navigator's role to monitor what lies ahead." The Maritime Police said that in addition to these two, there were other people who had left the wheelhouse.
The investigation into Captain C, a man in his 60s who was arrested, is being expanded on suspicion of violating the Mariners Act. Passenger ship operating regulations state that when passing through narrow waterways, the captain must directly command the ship from the wheelhouse.
Prior to this, on the afternoon of the 21st, the Coast Guard dispatched investigators to the Mokpo Regional Maritime Traffic Control Center (VTS) to conduct an on-site investigation to determine whether the control response at the time of the accident was appropriate.
Three controllers who were on duty at the time were investigated, and a forensic analysis of a mobile phone voluntarily submitted by one of them is also underway. At the time of the accident, VTS had warned the vessel that it had deviated from its course.
It has been discovered that the alarm system that detects the virus was turned off, and the investigation is also looking into whether the system management and response were appropriate. A decision on whether to detain them is expected to be made later that night.
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