A South Korean Coast Guard unit discovered a fishing boat lodged against the bow of a cargo ship off the west coast near Gunsan, suspecting an autopilot malfunction.
According to media reports, on 26 May the fishing boat with six crew members aboard, collided with the cargo ship and got wedged into its bow. Despite the collision, all 19 crew members on the cargo ship and those on the fishing vessel were unharmed.
The vessels remained stuck together until the Coast Guard intervened, separating them and escorting both back to port for inspection. According to Yonhap News Agency, an autopilot malfunction may have contributed to the incident.
The Coast Guard has noted this was the fourth accident in six months caused by autopilot failures in the busy waters near Gunsan.
