East Sea Coast Guard Rescues All 7 Crew Members from Distressed Vessel After 18 Hours

Yonhap News

A distressed vessel carrying 7 crew members was rescued after 18 hours in the sea 72 km northeast of Ulleungdo due to a steering gear failure.

According to the East Sea Coast Guard on the 16th, at around 5:30 PM on the 15th, vessel A (29 tons, 7 crew members) reported that its steering gear broke down while navigating to a safe area amid bad weather 72 km northeast of Ulleungdo, making self-navigation impossible.

The East Sea Coast Guard dispatched a 3,000-ton patrol ship stationed near Dokdo to the scene. However, due to strong winds and high waves, it took about 11 hours to arrive at the site at 4:30 AM the next day, where they confirmed the safety status of the 7 crew members in real time nearby.

After managing safety in the nearby waters, towing operations began at around 9:20 AM, and after about 2 hours of rescue work, the towline was connected to the distressed vessel at 11:22 AM. The vessel is currently being towed to a safe area.

The East Sea Coast Guard is currently monitoring the health and safety of the 7 crew members. Vessel A is expected to arrive in the safe waters under the jurisdiction of Sokcho Coast Guard around 8:00 AM on the 17th.