Mokpo Coast Guard Dramatically Rescues 70s Captain Adrift at Jindo Sea

Propeller Failure During Low-Visibility Navigation, Drifting at Sea Without Mobile Phone

Mokpo Coast Guard is rescuing a captain who was drifting near Naebyeongdo, Jindo-gun. Photo by Mokpo Coast Guard

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Chunsu] “I was in a desperate situation without a cellphone in the middle of the sea, but fortunately, the Coast Guard found me and rescued me, which is a huge relief.”

This is the statement of a captain in his 70s who was drifting due to a vessel breakdown near Naebyeongdo, Jindo-gun on the 17th and was dramatically rescued by the Coast Guard.

According to the Mokpo Coast Guard on the 18th, at around 3:41 PM the previous day, they received a report from the head of the fishing village that the coastal composite fishing vessel A (0.48t, 1 crew member), which had departed in the morning to harvest seaweed near Naebyeongdo, Jodo-myeon, Jindo-gun, had not returned and contact was lost.

Upon receiving the report, the Coast Guard dispatched six patrol vessels and a coastal rescue boat from the local police station to the scene and requested search cooperation from nearby civilian vessels for additional support.

At that time, the sea visibility was very poor (50m), and considering that the captain B (70) of vessel A was elderly and had left his cellphone at home before departure, the Coast Guard and civilian vessels promptly conducted the search operation.

The Coast Guard finally discovered vessel A drifting due to engine failure about 2 km north of Naebyeongdo at 5:42 PM, two hours after the search began, and rescued captain B, transferring him to a patrol vessel.

Fortunately, captain B’s health condition was good, and vessel A was safely brought into Naebyeongdo Port at 6:12 PM that day via the patrol vessel.

According to the Coast Guard investigation, captain B had gone to harvest seaweed near Naebyeongdo at around 9:40 AM, but when an abnormality occurred in vessel A’s propeller, he rowed with an oar but could not overcome the strong current and drifted at sea. It was confirmed that he had left his cellphone at home and was unable to make a direct distress call.

A Mokpo Coast Guard official said, “Before departure, it is essential to check the vessel’s navigation equipment and engine,” and added, “In case of an accident, you should always carry a cellphone to communicate the situation and request rescue, and equip the vessel with distress signal devices.”

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