Ship Inspections Go Contactless... Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Expands Remote Ship Inspections

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced on the 23rd that, in response to the resurgence of COVID-19, it will expand the statutory ship inspection items eligible for 'remote ship inspection' to alleviate difficulties faced by domestic vessels unable to undergo statutory ship inspections within the prescribed period, and will implement this from the 24th.

Remote ship inspection is an inspection method where the ship inspector does not attend the site in person but verifies the ship's condition and compliance with various standards through indirect means such as documents, photos, and video calls.

As domestic vessels that could not receive statutory ship inspections within the prescribed period due to COVID-19 faced operational difficulties, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries introduced the remote ship inspection system at the end of March, temporarily recognizing remote ship inspections only for interim inspection items that do not affect safe navigation, such as continuous machinery inspections. By the end of July, 38 foreign cargo ships that did not enter domestic ports underwent remote ship inspections. Inspections were conducted smoothly through phone interviews and verification of photos, videos, and records.

As the COVID-19 situation prolonged, the Ministry revised the 'Guidelines for Ship Inspections by Remote Methods' and decided to further expand the types of inspections eligible for remote ship inspections.

The newly added inspections include three types: interim inspections for mooring the ship, interim inspections for temporary changes in the maximum number of crew, and double load line inspections.

This measure will continue until the COVID-19 situation stabilizes and regular statutory ship inspections can be conducted without issues.

Kim Min-jong, Director of the Maritime Safety Bureau at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, said, "Remote ship inspections will be selectively implemented first for items that do not affect safe navigation, and after verifying their effectiveness, the scope will be further expanded. We will also promote the development of standard guidelines for remote ship inspections in the future, so that Korea can take the lead in international standardization efforts centered on the International Maritime Organization (IMO)."

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