Deployment of 'Araonho' for Emergency Rescue of 11 Crew Members in Papua New Guinea... One Month After Deep-Sea Fishing Vessel Sinking Incident

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The icebreaker research vessel Araon will rescue 25 crew members, including 11 Koreans stranded in Papua New Guinea after the sinking of an offshore fishing vessel. It has been a month since the sinking accident in March. Papua New Guinea has implemented strict border closures and movement restrictions to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries on the 20th, the Araon arrived at Rabaul Port, Papua New Guinea, around 8 a.m. Korean time on the same day to support the return of 25 crew members stranded locally due to the ship sinking. They include 11 Koreans, 6 Indonesians, 6 Vietnamese, and 2 Filipinos.

The offshore fishing vessel Rim Discoverer, belonging to Hanseong Enterprise, sank on March 21 after colliding with a reef off the coast of Papua New Guinea. All crew members boarded lifeboats at the time of sinking and were rescued by a Philippine vessel, then transferred to Rabaul Port on March 23. However, they could not return immediately due to Papua New Guinea government's airport and port closures, border lockdowns, and movement restrictions to prevent COVID-19 spread, and were quarantined after moving to a hotel near the port.

In response, the government judged that the urgent repatriation of both domestic and foreign crew members was a top priority for their mental and physical stability. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries reviewed support plans for their return via the Araon, which was scheduled to return to Korea after Antarctic research voyages, and promoted cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, cooperating through the Korean Embassy in Papua New Guinea, obtained special entry permission for the Araon despite the port closures and movement restrictions imposed by the Papua New Guinea government. A Foreign Ministry official explained, "Considering that the crew lost all passports and visas due to the ship sinking, local embassies allowed travel certificates issued to replace passports," and added, "The Ministry of Justice decided to exceptionally permit the entry of 14 foreign crew members who could not obtain domestic entry visas."

The crew returning aboard the Araon will undergo enhanced quarantine procedures upon arrival. All crew members will be checked for symptoms through fever screening in Papua New Guinea before moving to the Araon, and must undergo fever screening immediately after boarding.

According to the 'Araon COVID-19 Response Manual' established on March 12, the Araon strictly separates living and dining spaces and times between its crew and the offshore fishing crew, and disables the ship's air circulation system to prevent airborne transmission. Additionally, masks and hand sanitizers are provided to all offshore fishing crew to ensure personal hygiene, and a two-week self-quarantine will be enforced after returning.

Oh Woon-yeol, Director of Marine Policy at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, said, "It is a burden for one vessel, the Araon, to handle polar research activities, scientific base supply, and emergency rescue, but we could not ignore this nationally necessary special task." He added, "The government will do its best to support the repatriation of offshore fishing crew facing difficulties due to airport and port closures caused by COVID-19 while operating in distant seas, and if necessary, plans to consult with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to consider deploying charter flights."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.