Ballast water injection vessel full inspection from the 22nd
Expansion of 2 prefectures… Rapid inspection with mobile equipment
After injecting ballast water near the waters near the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in Japan, the government decided to conduct radioactive contamination surveys on all ships entering Korea. The purpose is to strengthen investigations to prevent radioactively contaminated water from being discharged into Korea through ships in preparation for future discharges of contaminated water from nuclear power plants in Japan.
The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries announced on the 22nd that it would equip six ports, including Donghae Port in Gangwon, Ulsan Port, Busan Port, Yeosu Port in Jeollanam-do, Daesan Port in Chungcheongnam-do, and Incheon Port, with mobile radioactivity measurement equipment, to conduct radioactive contamination investigations on ballast water. Ballast water is seawater that is injected into and discharged from a ship’s tank to balance the ship or secure stability.
The subjects of the investigation were ships injected with ballast water from six prefectures near the site of the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in Japan, including Aomori, Iwate, Fukushima, Miyagi, Ibaraki, and Chiba. In the past, only ships injected with seawater were tested in Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures, and only ballast water was randomly selected from some ships in the other four prefectures.
An official from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries said, “It used to take more than two weeks to collect ballast water and receive laboratory results.
Ships subject to the ‘ballast water exchange measure’, which must enter port after exchanging ballast water 200 nautical miles away from the coast of Korea, were previously targeted for two prefectures (Fukushima and Miyagi), but if Japan discharges contaminated water in the future, six decided to expand to the county. This means that seawater near the accident with the possibility of radioactive contamination should be replaced outside the waters under domestic jurisdiction before entering the port.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.