Investing 90.7 Billion KRW by 2024 to Remove Reefs at Gwangyang Port

Removed Intertidal Rocks to be Used for Creating Nearby Marine Forests

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced on the 26th that it will commence the 'Gwangyang Port Specific Area Reef Removal Project' on the 27th to ensure the safety of vessels entering and leaving Gwangyang Port.

The specific area of Gwangyang Port serves as the only access route for Yeocheon, Gwangyang, Yulchon, and Hadong regions, frequently navigated by ultra-large vessels over 100,000 tons and ships carrying hazardous cargo such as petroleum and chemical products. However, there are intertidal rocks (rocks submerged during high tide) on the right side of the waterway that threaten vessel safety. Accordingly, since 1988, the Ministry has designated this area as a Special Traffic Safety Zone under the Maritime Safety Act and has managed it accordingly.

In 2015, the Ministry conducted a 'Vessel Traffic Route Safety Assessment' and confirmed that these intertidal rocks posed a high risk of causing marine accidents, prompting the initiation of a removal project. This project was exempted from preliminary feasibility studies in 2016, and after reviewing the project plan's appropriateness and completing basic and detailed designs, the project was commissioned in 2019 through an alternative bidding method.

The project involves removing reefs along the route to secure a waterway depth of 22.5 meters and expanding the channel width from 420 to 600 meters. A budget of 90.7 billion KRW will be invested by February 2024. Notably, the project will employ advanced techniques such as low-noise and low-vibration blasting methods and air walls (noise and vibration reduction facilities) to minimize environmental impact, and the construction period is expected to be shortened by eight months compared to the original plan.

The Ministry expects that this reef removal project will not only prevent vessel collision accidents but also minimize the impact on surrounding fishing rights and interference with passing ships by implementing cutting-edge methods. Furthermore, the removed reefs will be supplied to nearby village fishing grounds and utilized for marine forest and fishery base creation projects.

Lee Sang-ho, Director of the Port Development Division at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, stated, "Since this project will proceed without restricting vessel traffic on the only access route to Gwangyang Port, we will install construction buoys for guidance and deploy aerial drones to monitor the construction site, prioritizing vessel traffic safety to ensure smooth progress without any setbacks."