At nine in the morning, the accident investigation officially began.

In fact, Director Liu had arranged for law enforcement personnel to retrieve recordings of communications between Zhangjia Port Traffic Control Center and the dock port with the two cargo ships, as well as relevant evidence preserved by the VTS system yesterday.

However, the current task is to first question the crew, and once the questioning is completed and notes are made, representatives from Chinese and South Korean shipping companies along with insurance company and Shipowners' Mutual Protection Association representatives will listen to the recordings and review relevant records from the VTS system to "replay" the whole process of the accident to analyze the causes leading to the collision.

The cargo ship "Yuzhang" capsized, and over a dozen crew members are ashore, all in Binjiang.

The investigation began with the crew of "Yuzhang," calling them all to the Maritime Bureau for questioning one by one.

With so many people involved in the investigation, it was like a "three-court hearing."

The Captain walked in with trepidation, taking a seat on the chair at Wu Hai Li's signal.

Han Xiangning took the lead in questioning, with Director Guan of the Accident Department and Xiao Xiao from the Accident Department responsible for recording, while Director Liu, Han Yu, and representatives from both China and Korea listened in.

The questioning process was not only recorded but also videotaped throughout.

Han Xiangning cleared her throat, looked up, and said, "Peng Xusheng, I am Han Xiangning from the Binjiang Maritime Bureau. Next, we'll investigate the maritime traffic accident involving your ship and the Korean cargo ship 'Yangmi.' Before the formal questioning, let me introduce the personnel participating in the accident investigation..."

Han Xiangning introduced them one by one, and when introducing her junior, she earnestly and seriously explained, "Since the accident involves a Korean vessel, to ensure the fairness of the investigation, we specifically invited Comrade Han Yu as a translator to communicate with the Korean representative."

The ship sunk, and the cargo was lost!

The economic loss was so great that the Captain, as the first person responsible, was tense and didn't even think about translating issues.

The two representatives from South Korea were very satisfied, feeling that the Binjiang Maritime Bureau's investigators were very professional.

President Tang, who rushed from the East Sea to participate in the investigation, was even more satisfied because the "translator" hired by the Binjiang Maritime Bureau was one of their own, and the investigation leader, Director Han, was the "translator's" partner!

"Peng Xusheng, let's officially begin. We will first investigate your captain's qualification. Please briefly describe your experience serving on sea vessels and provide relevant certificates."

"Alright..."

The captain of a large state-owned shipping company surely has no issues with his experience, and the relevant certificates are complete.

When Han Xiangning began investigating the cargo ship situation, asking the ship's side to provide the relevant certificates for the "Yuzhang" cargo ship, Han Yu took the seaman's certificates, captain's certificates, and other materials just reviewed by his senior, handed them to the Korean representative, and used English for translation, asking the Korean representative for confirmation.

Compared to Han Yu's translation, the two Koreans trusted the translator they had invited from the East Sea more.

Only after their translator confirmed there were no issues did they slightly nod.

After confirming there were no issues with the captain and the ship, they proceeded to investigate the deck and engine department crew's qualifications, continuing until it was confirmed all crew members' qualifications were in order before proceeding to the most crucial phase.

It was somewhat like a court trial for a criminal case, where the first court session is not for judgment but first to "verify identity," asking names and details, and if multiple suspects are involved, it might take a whole morning.

Han Xiangning invited the Captain back into the inquiry room to ask about the last voyage's itinerary.

"My ship set sail from Yungang to Zhenjiang Huanneng Power Plant on September 3rd."

"What time did you set off from Yungang on the 3rd?"

"At 3:30 in the morning."

"What was the cargo?"

"Coal."

"How many tons?"

"18,400 tons."

This question, like previous inquiries into crew qualifications and ship certification, was crucial, directly related to whether the "Yuzhang" was overloaded.

If there were issues with crew qualifications, the ship itself, and overloading, when the case reaches the maritime court, Zhonghai would be in a more passive position than now.

In short, emotionally, Han Xiangning hoped that the "Yuzhang" cargo ship was not at fault, considering it's a Chinese cargo ship. However, the investigation must be conducted impartially, or it could easily trigger international maritime disputes.

In fact, this major collision between Chinese and Korean cargo ships has already caused a significant impact, and Director Tang called again this morning, saying the International Maritime Organization is highly concerned, and many international shipping companies are even more attentive.

Han Xiangning turned back to look at the two expressionless Koreans and reminded, "Continue."

"Oh." The Captain steadied his mind and continued, "On the morning of September 4th, at 10:00 AM, my ship took on a Yangtze River Pilot to continue the journey at Wusong Port. Around 6:30 PM, with the agreement from Zhangjia Port Traffic Control Center, as per pilot requirements, we anchored using the port anchor with a speed of 6 knots at Zhangjia Port anchorage for rest and adjustment."

"Who was on duty on the bridge during anchoring?"

"I was."

"Were you also commanding during anchoring?"

"Yes."

"And then?"

"After anchoring, the third officer took over. I didn't go ashore and rested after dinner and a bath."

Having the third officer on duty during anchoring was very normal, neither illegal nor against regulations.

Han Xiangning let the captain leave temporarily and asked the staff to bring in the third officer.

The third officer said he did not fall asleep during his duty and noticed nothing unusual until he changed shifts with the second officer at 11:30 PM. Han Xiangning asked the third officer to wait outside, and called in the sailor who was on duty with the third officer for questioning, confirming that their statements matched.

The accident occurred during the second officer's shift, making the second officer a key person for questioning.

The second officer recalled the accident process with lingering fear and nervously glanced at the company leadership before saying, "After I took over the watch, I checked my ship's position, discovering that a cargo ship was anchored about 0.8 nautical miles behind us. Considering the rapid current in the river, I was concerned about potentially colliding with the cargo ship behind, so I set an alarm range, and then chatted with the on-duty sailor on the bridge."