Drunken captain crashes Russian ship to Busan viaduct
The Russian freighter Seagrand damaged a yacht and then crashed into a bridge in Busan. Screen capture from YouTube
By Ko Dong-hwan
Coast guards apprehended the drunken captain of a Russian freighter after it crashed into a bridge in Busan and then tried to sail away.
shows the 5,998-ton Seagrand slowly making contact with Gwangan Bridge spanning 7.4 kilometers between the port city's Nam-gu and Haeundae-gu districts. The ship crashed into the bridge at about 4:23 p.m.
The loaded vessel, departing Yongho Wharf for Vladivostok, Russia, had sailed in the opposite direction it was supposed to take.
Forty minutes after it hit a yacht at Yongho Wharf in Busan on Feb. 28, the Russian freighter Seagrand crashed into Gwangan Bridge. Screen capture from YouTube
The incident damaged the ship's deck, according to the clips. One video also showed a hole five meters long on the bridge.
In another video, vehicles on Gwangan Bridge slow or stop as the ship nears the structure.
Forty minutes before crashing into the bridge, the ship damaged a yacht. Another video shows the ship inching toward several yachts, scraping one of them.
The Russian freighter left a hole five meters long in Gwangan Bridge in Busan. Screen capture from YouTube
The Russian ship appeared to go the wrong way when it left Yongho Wharf.
After the crash, the ship sailed away from the damaged bridge toward the open sea, but a Coast Guard vessel stopped the freighter 800 meters away.
Police found the captain had a blood alcohol level of 0.086 percent, according to Chosun Ilbo. Korea's Maritime Safety Act states that those maneuvering or ordering to move vessels five tons or heavier face up to three years' jail or a fine up to 30 million won ($26,600) if their blood alcohol level is 0.03 percent or higher.