Search for abalone tugboat off the coast of Busan begins... Private divers are scheduled to be deployed after assessing the condition of the hull with an unmanned underwater vehicle.

Private divers are scheduled to be deployed after checking the condition of the unmanned submarine's hull.

(Busan = Yonhap News) Reporter Youngjae Lee = Preparatory work has begun to search the hull of the tugboat TNS Catcher, which capsized and sank off the coast of Busan.

According to the local shipping industry on the 23rd, a barge to search the hull of the TNS Catcher departed from Cheonghak Pier in Yeongdo-gu, Busan this morning.

The barge will be deployed in the sinking area and serve as a maritime base for underwater search operations for the hull.

Upon arrival at the site, the anchor will be lowered and fixed, and then the current state of the hull and surrounding terrain will be explored using a private unmanned underwater vehicle (ROV).

This is a preparatory work for the deployment of private divers. Based on the information collected by the ROV, the diver's underwater search method will be determined. The preparation work for the ROV is expected to take about a week.

Originally, the shipping company planned to deploy the barge on site around the middle of this month, but delays continued due to insurance-related procedures and weather conditions.

Currently, the TN S Catcher is sinking on the seabed about 5km southeast of Songjeong Port. The depth of the water reached approximately 87 meters, exceeding the Coast Guard's normal underwater search range of 60 meters, and the deployment of private divers has been promoted.

On the 2nd, the TNS Catcher capsized during towing operations about 9km east of Oryukdo Island in Busan.

Of the eight crew members, one was rescued, but two died, and five are missing and are being searched for.

Considering the fact that at the time of the accident, the TNS Catcher capsized rapidly due to the tension of the tow line, and the crew members inside had difficulty escaping, it is possible that some missing people remain on the ship.

Accordingly, the underwater search of the ship's hull is expected to become a difficult task in finding missing people.