Two Divers in Their 30s Die of Cardiac Arrest During Hull Cleaning at Busan New Port in Jinhae

Large container ship where divers were working and the vessel that came for hull cleaning operations. Photo by Changwon Coast Guard

Three civilian divers who were removing shellfish and other marine organisms from the bottom of a ship were transported in cardiac arrest, and two of them have died.

According to the Changwon Coast Guard and the Changwon Fire Department, at 11:43 a.m. on July 20, a report was received that three men in their 30s had lost consciousness at the container terminal of Busan New Port in Jinhae-gu, Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do.

The men had entered the port at 8:12 a.m. that day to carry out hull cleaning operations on a 50,000-ton vessel.

Upon receiving the report via emergency services (119), the Changwon Coast Guard dispatched a coastal rescue boat from the New Port substation to the scene.

The three men, found in cardiac arrest, were immediately transported to a hospital. However, two of them died, and one remains unconscious.

Firefighters are loading a rescued person into an ambulance. Photo by Changwon Fire Department

At the time of the accident, it was reported that a person on the work vessel pulled on the air hoses connected to the three divers performing surface-supplied diving, but there was no response.

Surface-supplied diving is a method in which divers do not carry their own air tanks but instead receive compressed air through hoses connected to their helmets.

The Changwon Coast Guard is currently investigating the exact circumstances of the accident by interviewing witnesses and those involved.