Passenger ferry accidents increasing annually... 274 cases reported in the past 5 years

Assemblyman Eo Gi-gu. (Photo by archive)

[Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] It has been revealed that passenger ship accidents have hardly decreased over the past five years, even after the Sewol ferry disaster in 2014.

According to the 'Passenger Ship Marine Accident Status' submitted by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to Eo Gi-gu, a member of the National Assembly's Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock, Food, and Maritime Affairs Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, a total of 274 passenger ship accidents occurred over the past five years from 2015, the year following the Sewol ferry disaster, to last year.

Passenger ship accidents, which numbered 17 in 2009, have increased every year, reaching 53 last year, more than three times the number from ten years ago, showing no signs of decline.

Although there were no large-scale fatalities due to passenger ship accidents in the past five years, 185 casualties were reported.

When the aging of passenger ships was pointed out as one of the causes of the Sewol ferry disaster, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries revised the 'Enforcement Rules of the Shipping Act' to shorten the maximum service life of passenger and combined passenger-cargo ships from 30 years to 25 years; however, the maximum service life of passenger-only ships remains 30 years.

Assemblyman Eo Gi-gu said, "We must never forget the Sewol ferry disaster of 2014," and added, "We should actively consider measures to shorten the maximum service life for all passenger ships."

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