Wando Coast Guard Conducts Special Crackdown on 'Maritime Drunk Driving' for Autumn Season

[Wando=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Choi Kyung-pil] Wando Maritime Police Station (Chief Park Je-su) announced that on the 19th, it conducted a special crackdown on "drunk navigation at sea" to establish a safe maritime culture in anticipation of the upcoming Chuseok holiday and autumn season.

According to Wando Maritime Police, especially with an expected increase in users during the Chuseok holiday, joint crackdowns were carried out through coordination between sea and land units including each ship, police substations, VTS, and the control room to secure maritime traffic safety and raise safety awareness. They plan to continue conducting surprise inspections to prevent maritime traffic safety accidents.

In this crackdown, to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19, strict compliance with COVID-19 prevention rules was observed, such as wearing masks during breathalyzer tests, using disposable mouthpieces for each individual, and conducting temperature checks outdoors.

Under the Maritime Safety Act, the standard for drunk navigation enforcement is a blood alcohol concentration of 0.03% or higher. Since May 19 of this year, penalties for drunk navigation have been strengthened, and for vessels over 5 tons, drunk navigation can result in imprisonment from a minimum of 2 years to a maximum of 5 years or fines ranging from 20 million to 30 million KRW, depending on the blood alcohol concentration.

A Wando Maritime Police official urged, "This year, there have been a total of two cases of drunk navigation detected within the Wando jurisdiction, with blood alcohol concentrations of 0.191% and 0.092%, both subject to license cancellation. Since accidents at sea can lead to significant casualties and property damage, caution is necessary."

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