Two Crew Members Rescued After Tugboat Fire and Sinking off Samcheok Imwon Port

At 9:53 a.m. on the 24th, a tugboat on fire was engulfed in flames 3.7 km east of Imwon Port, Samcheok-si, Gangwon Province. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Tae-min] On the morning of the 24th, a fire broke out on a tugboat sailing to Busan in the waters off Samcheok Port, Samcheok-si, Gangwon-do, causing the vessel to sink.

According to the Donghae Coast Guard Station, at around 9:53 a.m. that day, a fire broke out on a 29-ton tugboat located 3.7 km east of Imwon Port, Samcheok-si, Gangwon-do. Coastal rescue boats, patrol vessels, and the Donghae Special Rescue Team were dispatched to extinguish the fire.

The vessel, whose engine room, wheelhouse, and entire hull were engulfed in flames, sank during the firefighting efforts. However, the two crew members on board were safely rescued by the Imwon Police Station coastal rescue boat and nearby fishing boats.

The vessel had departed from the temporary pier of the Samcheok Thermal Power Plant at around 6:10 a.m., towing a barge and heading to Busan. The crew attempted to extinguish the fire themselves but failed and reported the incident to the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard is taking measures to prevent the spread of oil leaking from the sunken vessel and is conducting containment operations using oil spill response vessels.

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