Hangang Bus Jamsil Stranding Incident Briefing
"Water Levels Dropped During Dry Season... We Did Not Anticipate This"
Underwater Exploration and Immediate Dredging to Be Conducted
An incident occurred where a Hangang Bus deviated from its route and became stranded in shallow waters, and it has been revealed that similar situations have been reported to the company 15 times this year. The Hangang Bus operator explained that these incidents occurred because water levels during the dry season dropped lower than expected.
Kim Sunjik, CEO of Hangang Bus Co., stated at a briefing on the "Hangang Bus Stranding Incident" held at Seoul City Hall on November 17, "We were aware that the water upstream of Hannam Bridge was shallow, but since it is currently the dry season, the water level is at its lowest of the year," adding, "We did not anticipate that the water would drop this much."
Previously, at 8:25 p.m. on November 15, Hangang Bus No. 102, heading to Jamsil, suddenly stopped 118 meters from the Jamsil dock, and 82 passengers were rescued. The vessel remains stranded at the accident site and is scheduled to be salvaged on November 19. City officials estimate that, due to insufficient brightness of the route marker lights at night, the crew failed to confirm the navigation path and deviated from the route, causing the vessel to become stranded in an undredged shallow area. The route marker lights are powered by solar-charged batteries, but it was found that the brightness was insufficient at the time of operation due to depleted battery function.
Reports of foreign objects or the riverbed obstructing the vessel have surged since the start of the dry season. Since February, a total of 15 such reports have been made, with 13 of them concentrated after November 7. CEO Kim stated, "As November began, the number of reports increased due to the dry season," and added, "We plan to conduct a thorough investigation, as vessels may come into contact with logs, other objects, or the riverbed itself."
In response to concerns that the accident may have occurred because there were no trial runs during the dry season, CEO Kim acknowledged, "It is true that we did not experience all the seasons," but emphasized, "We conducted citizen trial rides during the summer and have undergone more than eight months of operational training, so I do not believe we were inadequately prepared."
As it became known that there is a 'gas pipeline protection structure' near the Jamsil dock route where the accident occurred, questions arose about the process of selecting the dock location and setting the navigation route. Park Jinyoung, Director of the Future Hangang Headquarters at Seoul Metropolitan Government, explained, "When designating a dock, we consider convenience and safety. The Jamsil dock was chosen for its accessibility, being close to residential complexes and interchanges, and the navigation route was set after calculating the necessary dredging work." He added, "The gas pipeline is surrounded by concrete for protection, so it cannot be damaged by ordinary collisions. The Hangang Bus route was established with this in mind to ensure sufficient water depth. As long as the designated route is followed, it is safe regardless of the buried gas pipeline."
The Hangang Bus operator plans to temporarily suspend operations on the upstream section of Hannam Bridge, where water levels are low, and conduct a safety inspection of the route. CEO Kim said, "We will deploy divers upstream of Hannam Bridge to conduct underwater exploration using sonar scans and check for sediment accumulation in the shallow areas," adding, "We will also remove floating debris and foreign objects that hinder vessel operation, provide additional training for captains and engineers, and especially strengthen nighttime navigation training to further enhance safety."
The timing for resuming operations in this section has not yet been determined. CEO Kim stated, "I cannot specify an exact date for resuming operations at this time, but we will take action as quickly as possible to resume service."
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