Dongbu Construction Builds Masan Guhang District Vertical Seawall "Leading in Hinamnor Damage Prevention"

Standing-type seawall installed in Guhang District, Masanhappo-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongnam [Photo by Dongbu Construction]

[Asia Economy Reporter Noh Kyung-jo] Dongbu Construction announced on the 14th that the upright seawall constructed in the Masanhappo-gu area of Changwon-si, Gyeongnam, protected lives and property from the recent typhoon 'Hinnamnor' that struck the Korean Peninsula.

Masanhappo-gu was a habitual flood-prone area that would be submerged when disasters such as typhoons occurred. In September 2003, Typhoon Maemi hit, causing large-scale flooding damage in the Masan Old Port district.

As a result, the need for disaster prevention facilities within the port area was raised, and Dongbu Construction completed the disaster prevention facilities in the Old Port district over about five years from 2013 to 2018. These include transparent reinforced walls, upright seawalls, floodgates, and disaster prevention embankments.

Among these, the 200m-long and 2m-high upright seawall was the first of its kind installed in Korea for disaster prevention purposes. Normally, it is laid down and used as a resting space such as sidewalks or bicycle paths, and during typhoon approaches, it stands upright vertically to serve as a seawall.

Dongbu Construction explained that, as a disaster prevention facility, securing structural stability and robustness was of utmost importance. Accordingly, the design was changed from pneumatic type (upright seawall raised by rubber membrane expansion) to hydraulic type (door leaf upright by hydraulic cylinder) to ensure economic efficiency and safety. It allows manual operation and does not require a separate machine room, making maintenance easy.

A Dongbu Construction official said, "Since this facility is intended to prepare for large-scale disasters such as super typhoons, it was completed through in-depth review and meticulous construction," adding, "We are very proud that it performed properly during the landing of Typhoon Hinnamnor."

Previously, Dongbu Construction had experience completing the approximately 1.8 km breakwater for the Samcheok liquefied natural gas (LNG) production base commissioned by Korea Gas Corporation in 2014. In March of this year, it completed the country's first sluice-type flood prevention facility in the Gangwon Samcheok Port area, which can prevent loss of life and property from tsunamis caused by earthquakes in the Sea of Japan region. Additionally, in July, it won the contract for the construction of the new port berthing facility (Phase 1) in the front sea area of the Saemangeum No. 2 seawall located in Gimje-si, Jeonbuk.

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