A fire on a Korean petroleum tanker near Jawol Island killed two crew members while 16 others were rescued in stable condition.

The Coast Guard works to extinguish a fire on a 7,000-ton petroleum product tanker about 7.4 kilometers (4.6 miles) north of Jawol Island in Ongjin County, Incheon, on Aug. 27.
YONHAP

Two crew members died and 16 others were rescued after a fire broke out on a 7,000-ton petroleum product tanker in waters near Jawol Island in Incheon on Thursday night. The blaze was extinguished Friday morning. 

The fire broke out at around 10:38 p.m. on the tanker about 7.4 kilometers (4.6 miles) north of Jawol Island in Ongjin County, Incheon, the Korea’s Central Regional Coast Guard said Friday.

A total of 18 people were aboard the vessel at the time of the fire. Two men, one in his 60s and the other in his 20s, were found unresponsive in the engine room. They were taken to Jindu Port on Yeongheung Island, also in Incheon, but later pronounced dead.

The other 16 crew members were rescued by the Coast Guard and were all reported to be in stable condition.

Among the crew members, 11, including the two who died, were Korean and seven were foreign nationals. The tanker was also confirmed to be a Korean vessel.

The Coast Guard dispatched 24 patrol vessels and an aircraft to the scene after receiving the report, with three vessels from other agencies also joining the firefighting efforts.

The fire was fully extinguished at around 4 a.m. Friday, five hours and 22 minutes after it broke out.

The fire is believed to have started in the vessel’s engine room. Authorities found that it did not spread to the petroleum storage area.

“We plan to investigate the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage,” a Coast Guard official said. “After consulting with the shipping company, we will tow the vessel and handle the cargo on board.”

BY HYEON YE-SEUL [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.