Coast Guard Cheong to Build Korea's First 1500-ton Chemical Defense Ship... Deployment on Site by 2028

The Korea Coast Guard announced on the 15th that it will build the country's first 1500-ton class multipurpose chemical response ship.

To this end, it has secured a project budget of 740 million KRW for one chemical response ship and plans to start the design this year and proceed with the construction project. The Coast Guard plans to invest 73.5 billion KRW over five years, aiming for on-site deployment in 2028.

The 1500-ton class chemical response ship will be equipped to handle adverse weather conditions with waves over 2.5 meters as well as accidents involving large 30,000-ton chemical carriers.

Chemical Defense Ship [Photo by Korea Coast Guard]

The Coast Guard has been operating two 500-ton class chemical response ships deployed in Yeosu and Ulsan, respectively, following the chemical carrier 'Maritime Magee' accident off Taejongdae, Busan in 2013. However, recognizing the need for a 1500-ton class multipurpose chemical response ship to respond to large-scale maritime chemical accidents, the construction project was initiated through a preliminary feasibility study by a specialized institution.

Recently, with the acceleration of introducing gas-based eco-friendly fuel vessels such as LNG and hydrogen, which have high risks of fire and explosion, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, concerns about the risk of large-scale maritime chemical accidents are also increasing.

Kim Jong-wook, Commissioner of the Korea Coast Guard, stated, "Maritime chemical accidents involve not only marine pollution but also complex incidents such as fire, explosion, and toxic gases, so even a single accident can cause national disaster-level casualties and property damage. We will ensure the prompt and efficient response to accidents by building and deploying the 1500-ton class large chemical response ship without delay."

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