Jinju City to Conduct Comparative Analysis of Environmental Impact Before and After Cruise Ship Operations

Active Measures for Namgang Environmental Conservation Including Eco-Friendly Ship Operations

Kim Siminho.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] Jinju City in Gyeongnam responded to the Jinju Environmental Movement Federation's opposition to the Namgang River cruise operation by stating that it will conduct environmental impact monitoring and take measures to prevent environmental damage.

Before the operation of the Namgang River cruise ship ‘Kim Si-min Ho,’ which will officially start in April, Jinju City conducted seasonal environmental impact monitoring in November last year, and January and March this year through Daeyang Technology Group, an environmental impact assessment company.

Monitoring will continue after the start of operations in April to compare and analyze environmental changes.

Regarding concerns about the risks of the cruise ship, it was stated that ‘Kim Si-min Ho’ was built according to the eco-friendly ship law and underwent a new safety inspection under the Water Leisure Safety Act by the Korea Maritime Transportation Safety Authority on the 10th.

The material of the ship, which is encouraged instead of the existing wooden ships, is FRP, which is widely used because it is easy to build and repair, low cost, resistant to corrosion, and easy to maintain.

However, it has the disadvantages of being vulnerable to external shocks and fire, and causing environmental pollution during disposal due to difficulty in recycling.

There is also the problem of emitting toxic gases in case of fire. Therefore, Jinju City manufactured the hull of ‘Kim Si-min Ho’ with aluminum, which is resistant to external shocks and fire and recyclable upon disposal.

The engine of Kim Si-min Ho was also installed with a product that passed the engine air pollution prevention inspection according to the ‘Regulations on Pollution Prevention in Ships.’

A city official said, “Regarding the ecological impact claimed by the Jinju Environmental Movement Federation, we will continue environmental impact monitoring and take measures to prevent environmental damage,” and added, “As we turn natural resources into tourism resources, we will do our best to preserve the environment of the Namgang River.”

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