Last Year, 302 People Rescued Through Marine Safety App 'Haerod'

A Total of 677 Rescues Over 5 Years... Cumulative Downloads Reach 300,000

Current Status of Maritime Accident Rescue through the Haerod App.

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced on the 22nd that the 'Haeroad (海Road)' application’s emergency rescue request function helped rescue 302 people last year alone.

According to the Korea Coast Guard, the number of rescues through the Haeroad app’s emergency rescue request function has surged annually, with 9 people in 2015, 12 in 2016, 102 in 2017, and 252 in 2018. A total of 677 people have been rescued up to last year.

Haeroad is a smartphone app that allows anyone to easily check and send their location using electronic nautical charts. It has been in service since August 2014 to ensure the safety of small fishing vessels without navigation equipment and marine leisure users. Its main features include emergency rescue requests, sea route guidance using the latest electronic nautical charts (navigation assistance), and marine weather information.

Marine accidents mainly occur in the evening or early morning when visibility is poor. Vessels drifting due to engine failure or other accidents are pushed by waves or currents, making it difficult for rescuers such as the Coast Guard to locate the vessel. Additionally, it is challenging to accurately determine the location of distressed persons who have fallen into the water or are isolated, resulting in longer rescue times.

However, when drifting vessels or distressed persons send rescue requests through Haeroad, their precise location information is transmitted in real-time to the Coast Guard’s comprehensive situation room, greatly aiding prompt rescue. For example, in March this year, a leisure user drifting in a small rubber boat in the East Sea due to engine failure reported to the Coast Guard via the Haeroad app and was quickly rescued. As such rescue cases have become widely known, the cumulative number of Haeroad downloads has increased from about 110,000 in 2017 to 300,000 currently.

Kim Jeong-hwa, Director of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries’ Aids to Navigation Division, said, "We will strengthen promotion through automatic text message services to activate the use of the Haeroad app," adding, "We plan to continuously improve the app by developing automatic reporting functions to enhance user convenience."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.