The Queen Zenobia 2 ferry, which ran aground on a remote island in Sinan County, South Jeolla Province, managed to enter a nearby port approximately nine hours after the incident.
According to Mokpo Coast Guard, four tugboats dispatched by the ferry operator pulled the grounded Queen Zenobia 2 from the stern during high tide to release it from its stranded position. The ferry had run aground on Jukdo, an uninhabited island in Jangsan-myeon, Sinan County.
Although the vessel had become lodged in such a way that the hull was elevated onto the edge of the island, there were no breaches or leaks, which enabled it to move under its own power. To facilitate self-movement, 21 crew members stayed aboard to manage the situation without boarding the Coast Guard rescue boat.
The ferry began to move on its own and docked at Samhak Wharf in Mokpo at 5:44 a.m., 9 hours and 27 minutes after the accident occurred. There were no further incidents.
The Coast Guard suspects that the accident may have been caused by the negligence of the captain or navigating officer. They plan to investigate the precise cause of the incident by reviewing CCTV footage and voyage data recorders from the vessel. The Queen Zenobia 2 had 267 people on board, including 246 passengers and 21 crew members. It had departed from Jeju at 4:45 p.m. on the previous day and ran aground at 8:17 p.m. near Jukdo, south of Jangsan Island, Sinan County.
All passengers were safely rescued. Some passengers reported experiencing minor pain or nervous shock due to the impact of the grounding and were taken to hospitals, but no serious injuries were reported.