West Sea Coast Guard Agency detects fishing vessels failing to report crew changes by helicopter... Fishing suspension upon second offense

"False Crew Member Reports Beware, Enforcement from the Sky Too"

A fishing vessel that set sail and operated without properly reporting its crew members was caught during a joint crackdown by the Coast Guard (air and land operations).

The Yeosu Rotary-Wing Air Unit of the West Sea Regional Coast Guard Headquarters (Chief Kim Inchang) confirmed during an aerial maritime patrol around 9 a.m. on the 25th that a 10-ton fishing vessel operating off Geumodo Island, Yeosu City, had a different number of crew members onboard than reported.

According to the fishing vessel entry and exit system, only one captain was reported to be onboard, but aerial evidence showed that there were actually three people onboard.

Although only one person was registered as reported, it was discovered that three people were actually on board and fishing.
[Photo by Seohae Regional Coast Guard]

Accordingly, the air unit immediately notified the Yeosu Coast Guard Station control room of the violation while conducting detailed evidence collection. The Yeosu Station dispatched a land team from Dolsan Police Substation to conduct a final crackdown on the vessel as it entered the port.

The Coast Guard issued a warning for this case since it was the first offense for failing to report changes in crew members. Under the Fishing Vessel Safety Operation Act, if changes in crew members are not reported before departure, the first offense results in a warning, the second offense leads to a 10-day suspension of fishing permits, and the third offense results in a 15-day suspension.

A West Sea Coast Guard official stated, “Failing to report crew members can cause significant disadvantages and may lead to confusion in rescue operations during emergencies, directly affecting public safety. Therefore, it is essential to report the exact number of crew members.”

Meanwhile, crew member reports can be submitted through on-site visits to Coast Guard substations or via the fishing vessel entry and exit system.

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