A fire broke out on a fishing vessel off the coast of Chagwido, Jeju, and 9 crew members were rescued by the Jeju Coast Guard.
According to the Jeju Maritime Police Station on the 31st, a report was received around 4:14 a.m. that a fire had broken out on fishing vessel A (51 tons, Seogwipo, longline fishing, 9 crew members) operating about 18 km southwest of Chagwido.
The Jeju Coast Guard urgently dispatched three patrol vessels to the scene and completed the rescue of personnel and fire suppression.
On vessel A, the fire started in the engine room during fishing operations. Attempts were made to extinguish the fire, but when it could not be controlled, the Coast Guard was notified. Of the 9 crew members on board the vessel where the fire occurred, 7 were rescued by fishing vessel B operating nearby.
At around 4:36 a.m., a 200-ton patrol vessel arrived at the scene, and two police officers immediately boarded vessel A to carry out fire suppression efforts.
At around 5:35 a.m., a 500-ton patrol vessel arrived at the scene and attempted additional firefighting operations. By approximately 6:11 a.m., the fire was completely extinguished. After further work to check for potential fires and nearby marine pollution, the vessel was towed to port for additional investigation.
A Jeju Coast Guard official stated, “Due to the dry weather in winter and corroded equipment, the risk of fire is high, so equipment inspections must be conducted in advance. Please also check safety equipment such as fire extinguishers for initial fire suppression.”
Jeju = Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Hwang Jeongpil baekok@asiae.co.kr
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