Survival swimming, VR emergency evacuation training offered across Busan, Gangwon Province and beyond

Program running since 2019; satisfaction score hit 93 points last year

Participants take part in a life raft deployment exercise at the mobile maritime safety experience facility. [Korea Maritime Transportation Safety Authority]
Participants take part in a life raft deployment exercise at the mobile maritime safety experience facility. [Korea Maritime Transportation Safety Authority]

The Korea Maritime Transportation Safety Authority (KOMSA) will run hands-on maritime safety education programs across five regions nationwide this summer, with activities ranging from survival swimming and life raft drills to virtual reality emergency evacuation training aimed at building participants' ability to respond to maritime accidents.

KOMSA announced Tuesday that it will operate its mobile maritime safety experience facilities through August at five locations: Busan North Port Marina Pool in Busan, Tongyeong Youth Training Center in South Gyeongsang Province, Yeosu Youth Maritime Education Center in South Jeolla Province, Gangneung Youth Maritime Training Center in Gangwon Province, and Eumseong-gun Youth Training Center in North Chungcheong Province.

The mobile maritime safety experience facility is a hands-on education program that simulates real maritime accident scenarios at swimming pools and similar venues to build crisis-response skills.

KOMSA has run the program in partnership with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries since 2019, providing maritime safety training to 76,159 people to date. About 17,000 people participated last year.

This year's curriculum covers maritime survival skills including how to wear a life jacket, survival swimming techniques, and hands-on practice operating and boarding a life raft. Participants can also try a passenger ferry emergency evacuation VR simulation and learn how to use distress signaling equipment and other life raft gear.

KOMSA is also expanding tailored education for children, teenagers and families by linking the mobile facilities with its maritime safety classroom program. Under that initiative, certified instructors visit kindergartens, schools and senior centers directly to deliver on-site safety education.

Registration and detailed schedules are available on the Maritime Safety Education Portal.

"The most important thing in maritime safety is knowing the right actions to take in an emergency and being able to carry them out," KOMSA President An Yeong-cheol said. "We will expand accessible, hands-on maritime safety education so that a culture of maritime safety becomes part of everyday life."


adastra@heraldcorp.com