Gwangyang reopens 4th route March 20

Gwangyang port is ready to reopen a 4th route to allow 50,000-ton vessels.

The Yosu Regional Maritime Affairs ＆ Fisheries office disclosed March 18 that it decided to allow vessels under 50,000 tons to pass through the fourth route after a year of dredging work that deepened the water to 15 meters at a cost of 32.8 billion won.

The fourth route, 3,150 meters long and 450 meters wide, has been used for vessels headed for the Gwangyang steel and container wharf, though up until now it couldn’t safely permit vessels over 10,000 tons through due to the shallow waters there, a mere 8 meters. This resulted in detentions in the third wharf.

An insider at the regional office said, “Most container vessels over 50,000 tons couldn’t use the fourth route, and were forced to wait for the third route, which is only one-way. With the deeper waters in the fourth route now, detentions should be considerably reduced.”