Mokpo Coast Guard Develops Exclusive App for Reporting Crew Changes on Fishing Vessels

Crew Change Reporting
Now Made Easy Even at Sea

Exclusive App for Crew Change Reporting Promotion Poster. Provided by Mokpo Coast Guard Station

The Mokpo Coast Guard Station in South Jeolla Province announced on August 25 that it has independently developed and officially launched an exclusive app for reporting crew changes on fishing vessels.

Previously, when there was a change in the crew on a fishing vessel, the owner or captain was required to visit a Coast Guard office in person to report the change before departure. Although an online reporting system was later introduced, there have continued to be cases where fishermen failed to report, which has posed challenges in responding to maritime safety incidents.

In particular, reporting crew changes is a critical procedure that enables authorities to quickly and accurately determine the number of people on board and initiate rescue operations in the event of a maritime accident. Violating this requirement can result in a suspension of fishing operations for up to 15 days under the Fishing Vessel Safety Operation Act.

The Mokpo Coast Guard’s Jido Police Substation developed this exclusive app over a period of about three months to address these issues. Fishermen can simply search for and install the "Crew Change Reporting Assistant" app from the Google Play Store and use it with ease.

In addition to basic reporting functions, the app is integrated with the Korea Meteorological Administration to automatically display warning messages when weather advisories are issued, providing practical assistance for safety checks before departure and helping to prevent accidents.

Ok Changgeun, the police lieutenant who led the development of the app, stated, "Through this exclusive app, we aim to fundamentally resolve the ongoing issue of unreported crew changes and enable swift and accurate search and rescue operations in the event of a maritime accident."

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