DSME Ordered to Halt Production After 2nd Fire

South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. (DSME) has received orders from government officials to cease production on five of its ships presently under construction, following a series of deadly shipyard incidents, Yonhap reported.

 

The government orders are in response to a fire which broke out Tuesday inside a gas tanker being built in a shipyard on Geoje Island, killing one worker and injuring at least seven others. The accident follows a similar incident that killed two and injured seven at Okpo Shipyard in August.

 

Korea’s Ministry of Employment and Labor ordered the shipbuilder to stop construction until safety can be guaranteed aboard the ship that caught on fire Tuesday as well as four others of the same kind, Yonhap reported.

 

 Following the August fire, the ministry had ordered eight days of work stoppage, but the punishment is expected to be of increased severity this time around, officials said.

 

DSME now intends to up safety education measures for its workers, according to Yonhap.