Yeosu Coast Guard Cracks Down on Unreported Changes in Fishing Vessel Crew Members

Strengthening Crackdown on Discrepancies Between Registered Crew and Onboard Personnel on Fishing Vessels

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik] The Yeosu Maritime Police Station in Jeollanam-do announced on the 18th that it will strengthen crackdowns on unreported changes in crew members to prevent confusion during rescues caused by discrepancies between registered crew and actual onboard personnel in cases of marine accidents such as fishing vessel collisions and capsizing.

According to Yeosu Maritime Police, from the 14th to the 23rd, a 10-day period, inspections and crackdowns will be conducted targeting fishing vessels over 5 tons using local police stations and patrol vessels to check whether the actual crew onboard matches the crew registration information in the Fishing Vessel Entry and Exit Management System.

Reporting changes in crew members must be done by visiting the police station or branch office if there are any changes in the fishing vessel entry and exit report details, such as the crew list, according to the Fishing Vessel Safety Operation Act. Violations may result in administrative penalties ranging from a first warning to a 15-day suspension of fishing activities.

Additionally, since November last year, to alleviate the burden of visiting to report crew changes, a ‘Mobile Crew Change Reporting System’ has been established, allowing reports to be made via mobile without visiting, making the reporting process much easier.

A Yeosu Maritime Police official stated, “We hope fishing vessel owners and captains voluntarily report crew changes.” He added, “We will continue to strengthen crackdowns on unreported crew changes to accurately identify the number of personnel onboard in the event of marine accidents.”

Meanwhile, in the Yeosu jurisdiction, the number of unreported crew changes detected over the past three years were 23 cases in 2019, 13 cases in 2020, and 52 cases in 2021, totaling 88 cases.

Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik hss79@asiae.co.kr

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