KIOST Research Vessel ‘Ieodo’ Retires, Concluding 33 Years, 6,894 Days, and 680,000 km of Service

On the 26th, KIOST Namhae Research Institute Holds 'Ieodoho Decommissioning Ceremony'

The Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) will hold a retirement ceremony for the R/V Ieodo on the 26th at the KIOST Namhae Research Institute pier (located in Jangmok-myeon, Geoje-si).

Ieodo Reef. Provided by Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST)

At the event, KIOST President Lee Hee-seung, Captain Jin Seong-il, along with crew members and staff, will celebrate the retirement of the R/V Ieodo, which has completed a grand journey of 6,894 days and 680,000 km since its commissioning in March 1992 over 33 years.

For its final mission, the R/V Ieodo was deployed on the 8th to support the search operation for the sunken 135 Geumseong vessel off the coast of Jeju.

The R/V Ieodo has contributed to the advancement of marine science in South Korea by conducting various marine research surveys, including ocean circulation and climate exploration, ocean current characteristic investigations, and environmental surveys of marine defense operation areas, while navigating coastal and regional seas of the country.

Originally constructed as the mother ship for the manned submersible ‘Haeyang 250’ and as a coastal research vessel, it opened new horizons for deep-sea and ocean exploration. It was also involved in projects planned with the Navy such as the ‘Ocean Characteristic Survey Project’ and the ‘Comprehensive Marine Environmental Mapping of Korean Waters,’ providing essential marine data for the development and utilization of marine areas around the Korean Peninsula.

From its early days, the R/V Ieodo expanded its research scope beyond South Korea’s coastal waters to overseas regions. In 1992, it supported the first overseas marine technology service project by South Korea, conducting marine surveys for the construction of an underwater power cable between Cebu Island and Negros Island in the Philippine Sea. In 1998, it was utilized for the first time since the division of North and South Korea by South Korean marine scientists to conduct marine surveys off the Kumho district in North Korea.

Additionally, the R/V Ieodo was deployed at the sites of national marine accidents such as the Hebei Spirit oil spill in 2007, the Cheonan sinking in 2010, and the Sewol ferry disaster in 2014, providing precise marine observations and scientific data to aid in accident response. In 2019, it also discovered a sunken vessel presumed to be the Coast Guard’s Patrol Boat 72 off the coast of Geoje, Goseong County.

Following the retirement of the R/V Ieodo, its missions will be replaced by the newly equipped R/V Ieodo 2, which is currently under construction and scheduled to be commissioned in the first half of next year.

Schematic diagram of 'Ieodo 2'.

The R/V Ieodo 2 has a gross tonnage of 732 tons and a maximum speed of 13.5 knots (approximately 25 km/h), significantly enhancing research performance and scope compared to its predecessor. It utilizes an Azimuth Thruster system that allows the vessel to freely change direction, and is equipped with a total of 34 advanced research instruments, compared to the 20 types on the original R/V Ieodo, enabling more precise and extensive research capabilities.

KIOST President Lee Hee-seung stated, “The time the R/V Ieodo has accumulated in the field of research is the history of South Korea’s marine science. Since the core competitiveness of ocean exploration lies in the research vessel, we will ensure the smooth construction of the R/V Ieodo 2, scheduled to be commissioned next year, based on the research achievements and experience accumulated by the R/V Ieodo.”