Engineer dies following Busan refrigerant leak
19th September 2026
SOUTH KOREA: In an update to the report of a refrigerant leak on a Russian ship in Busan, the Russian Consulate has reported that one of the victims has since died.
With the Russian Consulate General in Busan expressing its “sincere condolences” to the family and friends of the deceased, further information on the incident has been revealed by the Russian private news agency PortNews.
The refrigerant leak on Tuesday onboard a Russian 769-ton fishing vessel anchored in the port at Gamcheon, was widely reported in the Korean press. Four people were reported to have suffered injuries from inhaling the refrigerant, with two of the 15 crew on board at the time suffering cardiac arrests.
PortNews reveals that the two seriously affected men were a crew member in his 40s and a refrigeration engineer in his 50s. It reports that five people were sent to hospital with the refrigeration engineer remaining in cardiac arrest.
It also reveals the name of the vessel as the Kaltan a 56m commercial fishing boat built in 1992 and operated by the Vladivostok-based company JSC Dalrybprom. It also reports that the same vessel was also involved in a fatal fire off South Korea in April 2023, when 21 Russian crew members were rescued and four died.
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Two in cardiac arrest following refrigerant leak – 19 September 2026
SOUTH KOREA: Two people were reported to have suffered cardiac arrests in Busan on Tuesday after inhaling leaking refrigerant. Read more…
