Seoul, June 6 (IANS) North Korea said on Friday that it has successfully righted a warship that partially capsized during a launch ceremony last month, adding the ship is currently moored at the pier for more repairs.
The 5,000-tonne destroyer tipped over and became partially submerged during the launch ceremony held in late May in the northeastern port city of Chongjin. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered the full restoration of the warship before a key party meeting set for late June.
After a North Korean team restored the balance of the warship in early June, it moored the ship at the pier by safely conducting its end launching Thursday afternoon, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
“The team will start the next-stage restoration after the reexamination of the overall hull of the destroyer by a group of experts,” the KCNA said.
North Korea said it will carry out detailed restoration work on the destroyer at a dry dock in the northeastern port of Rajin, a project that is expected to take seven to 10 days.
The South Korean military said on Thursday that the North Korean warship that tipped over at the Chongjin port was returned to an upright position earlier this week and that the North is expected to begin to drain water from the warship, Yonhap news agency reported.
The North’s leader, Kim, witnessed the warship tipping over during the launch ceremony and condemned it as an intolerable “criminal act.”
As part of a probe into the accident, North Korea has detained some officials, including the vice director of the party’s munitions industry department.
Citing recent satellite imagery, Beyond Parallel, a project of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the warship was moored in the centre of the harbour with small salvage balloons attached to it. What appeared to be a large lift bag or temporary ramp was also spotted on the slide slipway, it added.
“The slight listing and presence of the balloons suggest that the salvage operation is not complete, with continued pumping, stabilisation and refurbishment operations remaining,” the US monitor said.
–IANS
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