According to World Maritime News, an arrest warrant issued against the CEO of South Korean shipping company Polaris Shipping has been rejected over the sinking of the Stellar Daisy.
Warrant rejected
An arrest warrant was requested against Kim Wan-Joong, the CEO of South Korean shipping company Polaris Shipping, in connection to the sinking of Stellar Daisy two years ago. However, the warrant against the CEO has been rejected on January 24.
Warrants of arrests were also requested for the head of maritime affairs at Polaris Shipping, an inspector of Korean Register of Shipping in charge of Stellar Daisy as well as two persons from a private company responsible for inspecting the vessel following the conversion of the ship.
What happened?
The South Korean bulker ‘Stellar Daisy’ was converted from an oil tanker to a bulk carrier. The bulker was carrying 24 crew members, eight South Korean and sixteen Filipino sailors when it sank in the South Atlantic. Only two sailors were rescued following the incident, whereas 22 crew members are still missing and feared to be dead.
The case is still being investigated by the South Korean Coast Guard and the exact cause of the ship’s sinking is yet to be determined.
Not proven guilty
Mr.Wan-Joong was suspected to have loaded the cargo without prior approval from the regulator on board VLOC Stellar Daisy.
Polaris Shipping said a statement that the Busan District Court rejected the arrest warrant application in light of the fact that the cause of the accident has not been proven yet. The warrant issued against the inspector and the concerned people were rejected as well however, the company’s former employee had been detained for further investigation.
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Source: World Maritime News
