On the afternoon of December 19, a 7.9 fishing vessel (name not disclosed) capsized in the Yellow Sea 13 kilometers north of Seonmido Island, Deokjeok-myeon, South Korea. Reports state the vessel had 5 crew members on board when it rolled over. Four of the 5 crew were rescued by a nearby vessel with one sustaining a head injury. The South Korean Coast Guard dispatched a helicopter which airlifted the injured crew member back to shore for medical treatment.
Photo: segye.com
Photo: segye.com
The Coast Guard launched a search and rescue operation for the missing crew member. Deploying several patrol boats, a hovercraft and aircraft to search the areas around were the fishing vessel had capsized. The cause of the capsizing was not disclosed.
On the evening of December 4, a 9.77 ton fishing vessel (name not disclosed) capsized in the Yellow Sea some 2.5 kilometers northwest of Cheonlipo, Taean, South Korea. The gillnet fishing vessel with 7 crew onboard was involved in catching oysters, flounder and clams when the vessel capsized. The Coast Guard was alerted to the incident and dispatched six patrol ships, one coastal rescue boat, and a Coast Guard rescue team to the search the area. Three of the crew would be later rescued during the search and rescue. The survivors suffered from hypothermia and were taken ashore and later taken to hospital.
Photo: koreadailiy.com
Photo: koreadailiy.com
Photo; chosun.com
Later that night, the Coast Guard would find the body of another crew member along the shoreline near Cheonlipo. The crew member had suffered cardiac arrest and could not be resuscitated. The search for the 3 remaining crew members was hampered from strong winds and waves reaching 3 meters high. The Coast Guard continued the search for several days. By December 6, the bodies of all 3 missing crew members would be recovered. The Coast Guard has launched an investigation into the incident.
On the evening of November 19, the 170 meter long, 6499 dwt ro-ro passenger ferry Queen Jenuvia II (IMO: 9901386) ran aground in the Yellow Sea near the uninhabited island of Jokdo and Jangsan Island in the southwestern edge of South Korea. The Queen Jenuvia II had departed from Jeju with 267 passengers and crew bound for Mokpo. As the vessel approached the area off Jangsan Island, the vessel struck a rocky outcrop. The grounding caused the vessel’s main engines to power down and caused a 15 degree list to port, but there was no reports of flooding.
Authorities were alerted and dispatched all possible resources to rescue passengers off the Queen Jenuvia II. The Coast Guard dispatched 17 patrol boats, 4 coastal rescue vessels, and 1 aircraft which arrived an hour later. After 3 hours, all 246 passengers would be safely rescued off the ferry. The 21 crew members would remain onboard to assist with towing operations. Twenty-seven passengers had suffered minor injuries and would be taken to hospital for treatment.
Photo: chosun.com
The ferry would later be pulled free and towed to a nearby port. An inspection found the ferry had sustained significant hull damage with part of the bow crushed. The full extent of damage has not yet been released.
According to initial investigation by authorities, the South Korean Coast Guard identified the cause of the grounding. The ferry was left on autopilot in an area requiring manual operation. The officer handling navigation was reported to be distracted by their mobile phone at the time of the incident. The Coast Guard stated the navigation would be typically handled by the first officer who was not on the bridge nor the master at the time of the incident. There are plans to purse criminal charges against those found responsible for operational negligence.
