Busan City and Related Agencies Conduct Joint Maritime Accident Response Drill

2:30 PM on the 4th, Offshore in Front of the National Maritime Museum

Jointly Hosted by City and Maritime Police, with Participation from 10 Organizations

Busan City has joined forces with related organizations to establish a robust response system for maritime accidents.

Scene of maritime accident response training.

At 2:30 PM on the 4th, the city conducted the "Busan Port Integrated Maritime Accident Response Drill" on the waters in front of the National Maritime Museum.

Co-hosted with the Busan Maritime Police Station, the drill involved a total of 10 organizations and companies, including the Central Maritime Special Rescue Unit, Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation, and Korea Maritime and Ocean University.

The equipment mobilized included 18 vessels, 1 rescue helicopter, and 1 ambulance.

The city conducts joint public-private maritime accident response drills twice a year. This particular drill was organized to enhance the ability to respond to collisions between passenger and cargo ships, which frequently enter and leave Busan Port during the upcoming summer vacation season, and to minimize damage in the event of such accidents.

This was also in consideration of the increasing demand for domestic and international passenger ships entering and leaving Busan Port following the end of COVID-19, as evidenced by a cruise ship from China calling at Busan Port for the first time in six years on the 12th of last month.

The drill simulated a collision between Haengbokho (a mock international passenger ship) en route to Japan and Hwamulho (a mock hazardous materials carrier) entering Busan Port, about 7 nautical miles southeast of Saengdo, Busan. The drill proceeded in the order of accident reporting, situation dissemination, rescue of people, hull repair, and marine pollution control.

Specifically, after receiving a report from Haengbokho (international passenger ship), the situation room assessed the accident and casualties, then relayed information to the helicopter and patrol ships, and directed the rescue of people in the water and the passengers of the passenger ship.

Additionally, in response to the collision, actions were taken to seal the damaged stern of Haengbokho and the cargo hold of Hwamulho, address flooding and power outage in Haengbokho's engine room, and contain the leakage of hazardous chemicals from Hwamulho. Search and rescue of passengers, patient transport, and marine pollution control were also conducted.

Notably, this drill was carried out without prior rehearsal to closely simulate a real-life situation. The city plans to use this drill to establish a swift cooperation system and ensure thorough preparedness for on-site response and minimizing damage in the event of an actual maritime accident.

Just as in a real accident, each organization familiarized itself with the situation and established detailed plans for their assigned missions, such as rescue operations and marine pollution control. Final actions were determined and executed after consultations with other organizations and departments.

In addition to this joint maritime accident response drill with related agencies, the city is making various efforts to ensure the safety of Busan’s waters.

Last April, in commemoration of "National Safety Day," a joint drill was conducted with 12 organizations, including the Busan Maritime Police Station, simulating a scenario in which a vessel collided with a bridge.

In June, the city also participated in the commissioning ceremony of the Busan Maritime Police Station 3001 ship, which is responsible for the safety of the waters off Busan and Namhae. Mayor Park personally attended both events, demonstrating his special interest.

Shim Seongtae, Director of the City’s Maritime, Agriculture, and Fisheries Bureau, stated, “As Busan’s passenger tourism industry is recovering to pre-COVID-19 levels, we expect this drill to further strengthen our ability to respond to passenger ship collision accidents and solidify our status as a global maritime safety city. The city will continue to do its best to strengthen maritime safety capabilities by conducting regular drills to prepare for various maritime accidents.”