Fishing Boat Sinks in Yeosu, All 9 Crew Members Rescued

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Hyung-kwon] A fishing boat carrying 9 crew members sank after hitting a reef in Yeosu, Jeollanam-do, but fortunately, all were rescued by a civilian maritime volunteer rescue team operating nearby.

According to Yeosu Coast Guard Station (Chief Song Min-woong), at around 1:11 PM on the 8th, a distress call was received from the captain of vessel A (9.77 tons, 9 crew members, fishing boat) reporting that the boat was sinking after hitting a reef off the east side of Chodo, Samsan-myeon, Yeosu City.

Upon receiving the report, Yeosu Coast Guard dispatched two patrol vessels, three coastal rescue boats, and the Yeosu Coast Guard Rescue Team to the scene. The Yeosu Coastal VTS and Fishing Vessel Safety Operation Bureau broadcasted safety navigation messages and requested assistance from vessels navigating near the accident site.

The accident vessel had departed around 12 PM from Chukjeong Port, Naro-do, with the captain and one crew member onboard. While evacuating seven passengers from the rocky shore, the vessel collided with a reef, causing flooding. When a nearby fishing boat arrived at the scene, the vessel had already sunk.

The first to arrive at the scene was the civilian volunteer rescue vessel B (3.49 tons, coastal gillnet, registered in Dolsan), captained by Mr. Jeong (56 years old, resident of Dolsan) and his spouse. They rescued the drifting crew members one by one and had all 9 crew members safely aboard by around 1:30 PM.

The Yeosu Coast Guard is conducting safety management for passing vessels and marine pollution surveillance near the sinking site while investigating the detailed circumstances of the accident with the captain.

Meanwhile, Mr. Jeong, who rescued the 9 precious lives in this accident, has been registered and active as a civilian maritime volunteer rescuer with the Yeosu Coast Guard since 2017. The Yeosu Coast Guard Station has 526 civilian maritime volunteer rescuers and 378 vessels who assist the coast guard in places where their reach is limited, providing significant help in marine accident rescues.

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