Tongyeong Ship Fire... All 60 Passengers Safely Rescued

On the morning of the 11th, a fire broke out on the 6,239-ton-class submarine cable laying ship A approximately 57.412 km (31 nautical miles) south of Maemuldo, Tongyeong-si, Gyeongnam Province. The Tongyeong Coast Guard and firefighters are extinguishing the fire. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] On the 11th, a fire broke out on the optical cable laying vessel A in the waters off Tongyeong City, Gyeongnam, while work was underway. It has been confirmed that all 60 people on board the vessel were safely rescued.

According to the Tongyeong Coast Guard, at around 3:51 a.m. that day, a report of a fire on the 6,239-ton optical cable laying vessel A was received at the Tongyeong Coastal Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) Center in the sea 57.412 km (31 nautical miles) south of Maemuldo, Tongyeong City, Gyeongnam.

At the time, there were a total of 60 people on board vessel A, including 49 Koreans, 10 Vietnamese nationals, and 1 Italian national.

When the fire broke out, the 92-ton tugboat B, which was working together a few hundred meters away at sea, arrived at the scene first to assist with the rescue.

All 60 people on board vessel A were safely transferred to vessel B at around 4:27 a.m. that day.

The Coast Guard reportedly deployed rescue boats, chemical containment vessels, fireboats, and rescue helicopters to the fire scene. Additionally, related agencies including the Navy's high-speed patrol boat and fireboats from Tongyeong, Yeosu, and Changwon were also mobilized to the site.

The 60 people who were safely rescued were then transferred to a nearby 1,999-ton cable transport vessel.

Among the 60 rescued, two Korean nationals inhaled smoke and complained of nausea, but no casualties were reported.

The Coast Guard estimates that the fire started in the engine room of vessel A and is currently conducting firefighting operations at the scene.

Vessel A was carrying 234 tons of Bunker C fuel oil and 2,000 liters of lubricating oil, and authorities are also checking for any oil spills.

After extinguishing the fire, the Coast Guard plans to investigate the exact cause of the fire by questioning the crew members.

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