South Korea is beginning operations this week to salvage the vessel, which sank while under tow.
"I was terrified," she said of the vessel, which can record speeds of 20 knots.
Officials suggested that the crew had accidentally capsized the vessel, which was ageing and overcrowded.
The vessel, which was hijacked 450 miles out to sea in November, had been carrying about $100m worth of oil.
It has also been reported that children were among those on board the vessel, which crashed on a reef.
Just as the coast guard boat reached the vessel, which was taking on water, its engine stalled.
The crew was expected to remain in detention while the Panamanian authorities finished unloading the vessel, which could take days.
Japan spent $50 million to recover the vessel, which sank on Dec. 22, 2001, after a shootout with the Coast Guard.
The vessel, which had been on autopilot, crashed on to rocks just outside the harbour of Union Hall in County Cork when it suddenly veered off course.
The temporary gangway collapsed during tours of the ship for family and friends of the workers who built the vessel, which is more than 1,130 feet long.
The coast guard guided the vessel, which left Izmir, Turkey, a week ago, to safety in the southern town of Otranto.
