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Hangang Bus ferries repeatedly scrape riverbed, hit foreign objects, says Seoul gov't

Published: 17 Nov. 2025, 17:33 Updated: 17 Nov. 2025, 19:24

A Hangang Bus ferry remains stuck near the Jamsil dock on Nov. 17 after striking the riverbed two days earlier. [YONHAP]

Hangang Bus ferries have repeatedly scraped the riverbed or floating debris at Han River during operation despite following designated routes, according to reports from the Seoul city government and the ferry operator on Monday.

From September to Monday, there have been 15 reported cases of the ferries hitting or scraping the river bottom or foreign objects like logs, according to the city and operator Hangang Bus. Thirteen of those incidents occurred after Nov. 7, during the annual dry season when water levels are at their lowest.

On Saturday, a ferry traveling near the Jamsil dock came to a halt roughly 100 meters (328 feet) from the quay after striking the riverbed. While that incident was attributed to the vessel veering off the main route into shallower water, officials acknowledged that such contact has occurred even within the normal route. Earlier that same day, another ferry scraped against an unidentified object while en route from Ttukseom to the Jamsil dock.

The Hangang Buses draw about 1.3 meters of water, which increases to 1.8 meters when including the skeg, a structure that protects the propeller. For safety, the depth of the navigable channel must be at least 2.8 meters, ensuring a clearance of at least 1 meter between the riverbed and the hull.

Seoul conducts periodic dredging to maintain these depths, but city officials admitted they were unprepared for how shallow the river has become this November. “This is the lowest point of the year in terms of water levels,” said Kim Seon-jik, CEO of Hangang Bus. “We didn’t expect the depth to drop this much.”

Members of a civic organization criticizes the Seoul Metropolitan Government for the multiple accidents involving Hangang Bus ferries during a rally held at the Yeouido dock in western Seoul on Nov. 17. [NEWS1]

Kim Seon-jik, CEO of Hangang Bus, apologizes during a press briefing on the ferry boat operations at the Seoul City Hall in central Seoul on Nov. 17. [NEWS1]

Operations were suspended on Sunday at four upstream docks — Jamsil, Ttukseom, Oksu and Apgujeong — all located above Hannam Bridge. Buses departing from Magok, Mangwon and Yeouido, located downstream, continue to operate normally. The city said it will remove debris from the affected channels and carry out additional dredging to ensure safety but did not provide a timeline for resuming service.

“To secure safe operations, we will deploy divers to the upper sections of the river near Hannam Bridge and remove any floating or submerged obstacles,” Kim said. “We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and concern caused by the recent Hangang Bus incidents.”

The ferry that struck the riverbed near the Jamsil dock last week came to rest directly above a gas pipeline — 600 millimeters (24 inches) in diameter — that runs beneath the river to connect the southern and northern districts. Divers later confirmed that the vessel did not hit the pipeline. The ferry remained stuck in mud, gravel and sand as of Monday.

According to the Seoul city government, the pipeline is encased in concrete and would not be damaged by an ordinary impact. “We factored in the pipeline when securing the necessary depth for safe navigation,” an official said. “As long as vessels stay within the designated route, there is no risk of damaging the gas line.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM MIN-WOOK [[email protected]]