"No Drunken Boating!" Changwon Coast Guard's Special Crackdown on Drunk Navigation

The Changwon Maritime Police Station in Gyeongnam will conduct a special crackdown on drunk sailing from July 1 to August 27.

Changwon Maritime Police announced on the 16th that with the decrease in COVID-19 cases and the lifting of social distancing, the number of users of multi-use vessels such as water leisure equipment is expected to increase, and they will engage in marine accident prevention activities during the summer peak season from June to August.

The special crackdown will begin with a publicity and guidance period from today until the 30th, after which the maritime police will start joint crackdowns coordinated between sea and land, including maritime traffic control (VTS), the situation room, patrol vessels, and police stations.

The Coast Guard is measuring alcohol consumption inside the vessel.
[Photo by Changwon Coast Guard, Gyeongnam]

According to Changwon Maritime Police, the targets of the crackdown include ▲ fishing boats such as fishing vessels ▲ leisure equipment ▲ passenger ships including cruise ships ▲ all vessels including pilots guiding ships through waterways.

They will focus the crackdown mainly on vulnerable maritime areas, considering major fishing grounds and activity areas of fishing boats, leisure equipment, tugboats, and barges, as well as their active periods.

For general vessels, the current punishment standard for drunk sailing under the Maritime Safety Act is a blood alcohol concentration of 0.03% or higher.

If caught, offenders face imprisonment from a minimum of 2 years to a maximum of 5 years or a fine ranging from 20 million to 30 million KRW.

For leisure equipment, under the Water Leisure Safety Act, a blood alcohol concentration of 0.03% or higher results in imprisonment of up to 1 year or a fine of up to 5 million KRW.

Chief Jang Dae-woon stated, “Drunk sailing accidents on multi-use vessels can cause many casualties, and vessels carrying hazardous materials such as barges and oil tankers can lead to large-scale disasters like marine pollution accidents. Through the crackdown on drunk sailing during the summer peak season, we will raise awareness of marine safety and do our best to prevent marine accidents.”

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