○ The Incheon Port Authority (www.icpa.or.kr, President Lee Kyung-Gyu) announced that it has conducted a comprehensive safety inspection since March 14th to ensure the safe transportation of passengers at the Incheon Port International Passenger Terminal (57, Gukjehangman-daero 326beon-gil, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon) prior to the resumption of the operation of the Korea-China car ferry that travels between Incheon Port and Dandong, China.

○ The Incheon-Dandong route is scheduled to resume operations in mid-next month with the 25,000-ton Oriental Pearl No. 8 of Dandong International Ferry Co., Ltd. The ship can carry 1,500 passengers and 214 TEUs of cargo.

○ According to IPA, the inspection will be conducted jointly by IPA, which operates the international passenger terminal, and the Incheon Port Facility Management Center, which is responsible for terminal site safety, as well as private experts, as the operation of the Korea-China car ferry on the Incheon-Dandong route will resume for the first time in two years and 10 months since June 2022.

○ IPA plans to continue inspecting the passenger terminal facilities until mid-next month to identify hazardous risks and carry out a comprehensive overhaul. In particular, IPA will focus all its efforts on ▴ safety inspections of passenger immigration entry and exit routes, ▴ the operating status of major facilities such as machinery and electricity, and ▴ fire protection and auxiliary facilities to ensure that the resumption of passenger transport on the Incheon-Dandong route is carried out safely.

○ Moreover, in addition to the area where passengers will be using, the port facilities for ships to berth at the international passenger terminal, such as fenders, mooring bollards,* and safety railings, will be closely inspected.

  * Mooring bollards: Posts installed at terminals and floating piers to secure vessels

○ “When passenger transport resumes on the Incheon-Dandong route, the number of passenger transport routes on the car ferry route connecting Incheon Port and Chinese cities will increase to seven,” said Kim Sang-ki, vice president of the Incheon Port Authority's Operation Division. ”We will do our best to operate the passenger terminal to provide convenient and safe services,” he explained.