On the waters off Sinan, South Jeolla, a large passenger ship carrying about 260 people ran aground, and all passengers were rescued in 3 hours and 10 minutes.
According to Mokpo Korea Coast Guard on the 20th, a report came in at about 8:17 p.m. on the previous day that the 26,546-ton passenger ship Queen Zenobia No. 2 had run aground near Jokdo, south of Jangsando, Jangsan-myeon, Sinan County, South Jeolla. The Queen Zenobia No. 2, carrying 246 passengers and 21 crew members for a total of 267 people, departed Jeju at about 4:45 p.m. that day and was scheduled to arrive at Mokpo Port at about 9 p.m.
The passenger ship reportedly ran aground with roughly half of its hull up on Jokdo, an uninhabited islet near Jangsando. The Korea Coast Guard and fire authorities tallied 27 people reporting pain from the impact at the time of the grounding, and it was known that none suffered serious injuries. Early in the response, there was word that a broken hole had been found in the bow of the passenger ship, but no flooding occurred.
Some passengers relayed the situation in real time via social media (SNS), saying, "After a bang, the ship listed," and, "An announcement told all passengers to wear life jackets, so we put them on and moved up to the top." The Korea Coast Guard rushed patrol boats and other assets to the scene to secure passenger safety, and completed the rescue at about 11:27 p.m., 3 hours and 10 minutes after the accident, using ships and inshore rescue boats.
All passengers transferred to Korea Coast Guard vessels and were transported to the Mokpo Korea Coast Guard exclusive pier. The first group to depart arrived at the pier at about 11:10 p.m., and the last group arrived at about 12:40 a.m. The Korea Coast Guard deployed 17 patrol ships, four inshore rescue boats, one aircraft, and the West Sea Special Rescue Unit for the operation.
All passengers and crew on board wore life jackets and waited for rescue, and children, pregnant women, and the elderly and infirm were reportedly rescued first. Passengers did not use ladders; instead, they connected the stern vehicle-loading ramp to transfer to the patrol ships.
The 21 crew members are waiting on board at the accident site for follow-up procedures such as towing. Towing of the passenger ship is scheduled to begin at about 1:10 a.m. at high tide. The plan is for tugboats to refloat the grounded hull from the uninhabited islet and then for it to proceed under its own power to Mokpo Port.
The Korea Coast Guard will launch a full investigation into the cause of the accident as soon as on-site response wraps up. The Queen Zenobia No. 2 is a large car ferry 170 meters long, 26 meters wide, and 14.5 meters high, operated by Seaworld Express Ferry, with a maximum passenger capacity of 1,010 and a load capacity of 3,552 tons.