"The Boat Is Sinking"...Fishing Vessel Floods Off Wando Coast

Jettisoning the cargo... Coast Guard vessel rescues two crew members

A fishing vessel returning from work off the coast of Wando, South Jeolla Province, was swept by rough waves and began taking on water. Although it was an emergency situation in which the boat could have sunk, all crew members were rescued within 10 minutes of the report.

According to the Wando Coast Guard on February 4, at around 11:42 a.m. that day, a report was received that the 6.67-ton class aquaculture management vessel A was taking on water in waters near Gangdok Pier off Sinjido in Wando County.

Wando Coast Guard Station responded to a fishing vessel taking on water off Sinjido in Wando County and rescued two crew members. Photo by Wando Coast Guard.

Vessel A had departed at 8:00 a.m. that day and was on its way back to port after completing seaweed harvesting operations. While under way, the impact of the waves caused the hull to list sharply, and seawater began rushing into the unbalanced vessel. Upon receiving the report, the Coast Guard urgently dispatched a patrol vessel, an inshore rescue boat from the local police station, and a rescue team to the scene.

The rescue units arrived at the scene 10 minutes after the report was received and swiftly rescued the two crew members who were on board the flooding vessel. The rescued crew members were confirmed to be in good health. After the rescue of the personnel, urgent efforts continued to prevent the vessel from sinking.

To reduce the weight of the vessel, the Coast Guard and the crew jettisoned the harvested seaweed into the sea and used a bilge pump to remove the water that had entered the interior of the vessel. After emergency measures were completed, vessel A was towed to Gangdok Port, and there was no secondary damage such as marine pollution.

A Coast Guard official said, "A vessel flooding accident can easily lead to a major loss of life, so a swift on-site response is crucial," adding, "We will continue to do our best to prevent casualties in the event of maritime accidents."

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