Crew Members Who Knocked on Captain's Cabin Door with an Axe in Busan Finally Apprehended

After Captain Orders Forced Disembarkation,
Suspects Cause Disturbance at Captain's Cabin

Three Vietnamese nationals have been apprehended by the maritime police for causing a disturbance, injuring a fellow crew member, and damaging property aboard a cargo ship docked at Gamcheon Port in Busan.

The Busan Coast Guard announced on the 17th that it had detained three Vietnamese crew members on charges including aggravated assault.

Vietnamese crew member undergoing on-site verification. Busan Coast Guard Station

They are accused of assaulting a fellow crew member and damaging onboard property on the morning of November 9, aboard a 2,998-ton Panamanian-flagged cargo ship docked at Gamcheon Port in Busan.

On the day of the incident, the suspects allegedly drank alcohol and sang songs in the ship’s mess hall. When another crew member asked them to quiet down, they reportedly beat him with a chair and their fists and threatened him with a weapon. Upon learning of the disturbance, the captain decided to forcibly disembark the three crew members and planned to report the incident to the shipping company.

After the captain decided on their forced disembarkation, at around 2:40 a.m. the same day, the suspects attempted to overturn the decision by going to the captain’s cabin with an axe and a sledgehammer, trying to break down the door. When they failed to open the captain’s door, they proceeded to damage the doors of other crew members’ cabins.

Door that was about to be broken with an axe. Photo by Busan Coast Guard, Yonhap News Agency

The maritime police responded to the scene after receiving a report from the ship’s agent, who had been informed of the situation by the captain, and arrested the suspects on the spot. There were 15 Vietnamese crew members aboard the vessel.

The authorities considered the incident a serious crime that could have escalated to murder or other secondary offenses and applied for arrest warrants for the suspects.

Lee Kyungyeol, Chief Investigator at the Busan Coast Guard, stated, "We will respond firmly to crew members who threaten onboard order and port safety with weapons, and we are committed to protecting the lives and property of maritime workers both domestically and internationally." He added, "We are currently investigating the suspects to determine the exact circumstances of the incident."