Mokpo Coast Guard, Plans for Preparation and Response to Marine Accidents During Fog Season

Promoting Safe Navigation Education
Strengthening Preventive Measures

Mokpo Maritime Police Station (Chief Kwon Oseong) announced on the 17th that it will implement the '2025 Fog Season Maritime Accident Preparedness and Response Plan' and strengthen safety management for five months until July.

During the fog season, vessel activity increases, and the risk of maritime accidents due to limited visibility is high. Accordingly, the agency plans to prevent accidents and maintain a prompt response posture.

Mokpo Coast Guard is ensuring the safety of a fishing vessel that lost its direction in the sea fog. Photo by Mokpo Coast Guard Station

In the past five years, there have been approximately 70 vessel accidents in the jurisdiction under low visibility conditions. Among these, fishing vessels (41 cases, 65%) accounted for the majority, followed by cargo and tanker ships (9 cases, 11%), and tug and barge vessels (6 cases, 7%). The main causes were found to be operational negligence (23 cases, 33%), poor maintenance (20 cases, 28%), and adverse weather (18 cases, 25%).

Mokpo Maritime Police will conduct safety navigation education for maritime workers and carry out joint inspections to prevent maritime accidents. In addition, safety management will be strengthened by providing guidance to fishing and leisure vessels on how to report distress and transmit their location in case of emergencies.

In particular, preventive patrols will be intensified in high-accident areas such as Mokpo Port, Anmado, Jido, and the waters near Heuksando. Joint disaster response drills involving the public, private sector, and military will also be continuously conducted to establish a rapid rescue system.

Chief Kwon Oseong stated, "During the fog season, when vessel activity increases, thick fog significantly reduces visibility, raising the risk of maritime accidents. We urge all maritime workers to actively participate in accident prevention by thoroughly checking equipment and weather conditions before departure."

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