Strong Winds Hamper Night Search for Six Missing Sailors After Busan Tugboat Sinks

The search for six missing sailors from a sunken tugboat off Busan ran into strong winds and rough seas, forcing some vessels to pull back and preventing aircraft from taking part.

The Busan Coast Guard began a nighttime search at 6 p.m. on July 3. It planned to cover an area measuring 30 kilometers by 49 kilometers, using 14 vessels and three aircraft based on the tugboat’s sinking location and drift predictions. But a strong-wind advisory complicated the operation. By 9 p.m., waves in the area reached 2.5 to 3 meters, while northeastern winds blew at 12 to 16 meters per second.

Some smaller vessels joined the search but later withdrew as conditions worsened. Aircraft also failed to participate. A coast guard official said helicopters and planes scheduled to fire illumination flares had suspended operations, although available personnel and equipment were being used as fully as possible.

The TNS Catcher overturned at 1:29 p.m. on July 2, about 9 kilometers east of Oryukdo off Yongho-dong in Busan’s Nam District. It sank completely at 3:27 p.m. in waters 87 meters deep. An Indonesian crew member, aged 53, was rescued by another vessel. A 57-year-old Korean sailor was found unconscious in the wheelhouse and later died in hospital. The missing include the captain, chief mate, chief engineer, two other engineers and an engine-room crew member.

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The helicopter and aircraft that were scheduled to fire illumination flares suspended operations. The weather made the search difficult, but we mobilized available personnel and equipment as fully as possible.