4663 Marine Pollution Reports in 3 Years... Coast Guard Strengthens Summer Prevention Inspections

The Korea Coast Guard announced on the 11th that it will strengthen inspections to prevent marine pollution during the summer season for one month starting from the 17th.

During the summer, unstable atmospheric conditions and typhoon invasions cause high waves and frequent strong winds at sea, increasing the risk of ship sinkings and accidents at marine facilities. As a result, marine pollution incidents occur frequently, and with the growing number of people enjoying fishing and marine leisure activities, pollution reports have also significantly increased.

According to the Korea Coast Guard, a total of 707 marine pollution incidents occurred over the past three years.

Additionally, marine pollution reports reached 1,406 cases in 2020, 1,582 cases in 2021, and 1,675 cases last year, totaling 4,663 cases. Among these, reports during July to September accounted for 1,507 cases over the past three years, representing 32% of all reports.

The Coast Guard is inspecting whether pollutants such as bilge water and waste oil generated from fishing vessels are being properly treated.
[Photo by Korea Coast Guard]

Since May, the Korea Coast Guard has been conducting the "Lawful Disposal of Marine Pollutants Campaign" in cooperation with related organizations such as the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation. They have been providing free disposal of bilge water generated from fishing vessels and promoting the return of PET bottles.

During this inspection period, the focus will be on preventing illegal discharge of pollutants from ships into the sea.

They will inspect whether pollutants such as bilge water and waste oil are being properly disposed of, and strengthen activities to prevent leakage accidents caused by negligence or damage to vessels mobilized at offshore construction sites during typhoon invasions.

Bilge water must not be discharged directly into the sea and should be treated through registered oil cleaning companies or the Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation in accordance with the Marine Environment Management Act.

The Korea Coast Guard will also provide customized consulting for ship workers to eradicate illegal dumping of marine debris such as discarded fishing gear.

To this end, they plan to utilize retired public officials with expertise to support safety management consulting for small-scale vessels with high pollution incident rates, aiming to eliminate blind spots in marine pollution management.

Cho Hyun-jin, Director of the Marine Pollution Prevention Bureau at the Korea Coast Guard, stated, "Each regional office will analyze marine pollution risk factors and select their own thematic inspection targets to carry out preventive activities. In addition, we will conduct crackdowns on chronic illegal activities such as those by fishing vessels and simultaneously investigate the pollution management status of each fishing vessel."

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