West Sea Coast Guard Agency Arrests 5 Suspects for Illegal Fishing Boat Construction

Deceiving Ship Inspectors to Illegally Construct Five Fishing Vessels

Ship inspectors and the Coast Guard are conducting on-site measurements of the structures of fishing vessels illegally constructed. (Photo by Seohae Regional Coast Guard)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Seo Young-seo] The West Sea Regional Coast Guard announced on the 11th that on the 10th, it referred the shipyard representative Mr. A and four fishing vessel owners to prosecution without detention on charges of violating the Fisheries Vessel Act by illegally modifying and expanding fishing vessels.

Mr. A (42 years old), the representative of a shipyard located in Yeosu, Jeollanam-do, was found to have illegally constructed five fishing vessels from April to October 2020 by expanding the structures of vessels after the construction inspection was completed, at the request of the fishing vessel owners for convenience and necessity. This increased the approved tonnage by about 2 tons and extended the length of the vessels by about 1.5 meters, as confirmed by on-site measurements by ship inspectors.

The West Sea Coast Guard stated that illegal construction of fishing vessels without ensuring safety affects stability and increases the risk of maritime safety accidents. Therefore, it plans to expand investigations into shipyards that illegally construct fishing vessels and operators who illegally modify and operate fishing vessels after construction.