Mokpo Coast Guard Intensifies Crackdown on Marine Safety Violations

Violations Including Exceeding Maximum Crew Capacity and Failure to Report Crew Changes

Mokpo Maritime Police Station (Chief Kim Hae-cheol) has launched a comprehensive crackdown to prevent safety-threatening acts on fishing vessels, such as exceeding the maximum number of crew members and failure to report crew changes.

This crackdown will be conducted for one month until the 31st, following a publicity and guidance period from the 1st to the 10th, targeting fishing vessels operating within the jurisdiction.

The main focus of the crackdown includes △ exceeding the maximum number of crew members △ failure to report crew changes △ verifying whether the registered crew matches the actual crew on board.

So far this year, Mokpo Maritime Police has detected a total of 7 cases of exceeding the maximum crew number and 49 cases of failure to report crew changes.

Exterior view of Mokpo Maritime Police Station

According to Mokpo Maritime Police on the 8th, to simplify and facilitate the entry and exit reporting procedures for fishermen, the V-PASS (Vessel Positioning and Alert System) was introduced in 2011, and since November 2021, the procedure has been improved from direct visits to branch offices to electronic methods such as mobile (internet) reporting of crew changes.

However, recently, this convenient procedure has been abused by exceeding the maximum crew number or failing to report crew changes, causing discrepancies in crew lists during marine accidents such as distress, which leads to confusion in rescue operations and threatens fishermen’s safety.

In particular, on the 5th, Mokpo Maritime Police, dispatched to a fishing vessel fire accident in the Amtado area of Sinan-gun, discovered that the vessel had exceeded the maximum crew number (2 persons) with 3 crew members on board.

Violations of the obligations to report ‘entry and exit’ and ‘crew changes’ are subject to administrative sanctions such as suspension of fishing operations under Article 8 of the Fishing Vessel Safety Operation Act and the Rules on Standards and Procedures for Administrative Disposition of Violations of Fisheries-related Laws.

The Maritime Police plans to continue crackdowns on violations by verifying whether the actual crew matches the registered crew in the vessel entry and exit management system through branch offices and patrol vessels, as well as promoting voluntary reporting of crew changes to shipowners and captains.

A Mokpo Maritime Police official said, “The vessel entry and exit system is crucial information for prompt and efficient rescue operations in the event of marine accidents, and since even minor safety negligence can lead to major accidents, fishermen need to have a mature sense of compliance.”

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