West Sea Coast Guard Cheong, Nationwide First Launch of Wide-Area Maritime Traffic Control Center

Ensuring Continuous Vessel Navigation Safety from West Sea Coast to Ports

Kim Jong-wook, Commissioner of the Korea Coast Guard, Conducts Comprehensive 1000km Inspection Ahead of Chuseok Holiday

The West Sea Regional Coast Guard Agency (Chief Kim In-chang) announced that on the 25th, in the morning and afternoon, they held the opening ceremonies of the Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) Centers at Gunsan Metropolitan Maritime Traffic Control Center and Mokpo Metropolitan Maritime Traffic Control Center, respectively, with about 200 guests and staff attending each event.

The ceremony was attended by Kim Jong-wook, Commissioner of the Korea Coast Guard, local members of the National Assembly, city council chairpersons, heads of organizations and institutions, academia, port organizations, and fishermen's associations, who celebrated the opening of the Metropolitan Vessel Traffic Service Centers responsible for the safety of the West Sea coastal waters.

The opening ceremony was held to widely promote the functions, roles, and importance of the Metropolitan Vessel Traffic Service Centers in managing vessel traffic safety. The event proceeded in the order of a progress report on the completion of the metropolitan centers, awarding of commendations to meritorious persons, a congratulatory speech by the Commissioner of the Korea Coast Guard, guest speeches, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Kim Jong-wook, Commissioner of the Korea Coast Guard, is explaining the functions, roles, and importance of vessel traffic safety management at the Regional Maritime Traffic Control Center responsible for the safety of the West Sea coastal waters.
[Photo by West Sea Regional Coast Guard]

Afterwards, Kim Jong-wook, Commissioner of the Korea Coast Guard, moved to the control room of the Metropolitan Vessel Traffic Service Center and conducted a safety inspection of the living environment in preparation for the Chuseok holiday, including the safety management status of vessels navigating not only Gunsan and Mokpo ports but also coastal waters, and checking for any safety elements along passenger ship routes.

Commissioner Kim Jong-wook stated, “With continuous maritime traffic management now possible from ports to coastal waters, we expect to provide safer maritime security services to the public during this Chuseok holiday,” and added, “We will do our best to ensure that the Metropolitan Vessel Traffic Service Centers play a pivotal role in creating safe seas in each region.”

With the opening of the Metropolitan Vessel Traffic Service Centers, the newly established control area has expanded to a total of 7,713㎢ (Gunsan 4,292㎢, Sinan 3,421㎢), and through the establishment of a more detailed maritime safety network, high-quality traffic control services are expected to be provided to vessels navigating the West Sea coastal waters.

The Coast Guard anticipates that as the Gunsan and Mokpo Metropolitan Vessel Traffic Service Centers are the first of their kind nationwide, continuous maritime traffic management from ports to coastal waters will greatly enhance vessel safety management and accident prevention functions. They also expect to respond swiftly to maritime accidents through 24-hour real-time monitoring.

Meanwhile, during the six-day Chuseok holiday, the Coast Guard plans to make every effort to prevent maritime accidents, crack down on serious crimes, and ensure seafood safety. Prior to this, until the 26th, Commissioner Kim Jong-wook will personally travel approximately 1,000 km to major port cities on the West and South Seas, including Gunsan, Mokpo, and Tongyeong, to conduct a comprehensive inspection of Chuseok holiday public safety measures, including vessel traffic safety management, passenger ship safety management, serious crime prevention activities, and seafood origin control status.

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