Mokpo Coast Guard Apprehends Vessel After Tracking Marine Pollutant Spill

6,000-Ton Cargo Ship Discharges 9.34 kg of Soot into the Sea

Mokpo Maritime Police Station (Chief Kwon Oseong) announced on the 13th that they had identified and tracked down cargo ship A, which discharged marine pollutants such as soot into the sea near Mokpo National Maritime University on the 12th, and apprehended it in the waters southeast of Dokgeodo, Jindo-gun.

The Mokpo Maritime Police received a report around 1:00 p.m. that soot had been discharged into the waters in front of Mokpo National Maritime University. They immediately dispatched nearby patrol vessels and coastal rescue boats to carry out emergency containment operations.

Mokpo Coast Guard is taking maritime containment measures. Photo by Mokpo Coast Guard Station

In addition, by meticulously comparing the routes of about 50 vessels passing through the area at the time, they narrowed down and tracked the suspect ship. As a result, they identified and apprehended the 6,000-ton cargo ship A, registered in Busan, as the vessel responsible.

According to the investigation, cargo ship A discharged approximately 9.34 kg of soot, a marine pollutant, into the sea within Mokpo Port. Soot consists of fine carbon particles generated from a ship's engine or fuel and is one of the main causes of air and marine pollution.

A Mokpo Maritime Police official stated, "We will focus on inspecting whether the apprehended cargo ship A is using fuel oil that meets the standards and will check whether dust suppression equipment in the unloading facilities is operating properly."

Meanwhile, in accordance with the Marine Environment Management Act, vessels that discharge soot, exhaust fumes, or other waste into the sea may be subject to imprisonment for up to three years or a fine of up to 30 million KRW.

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