Illegal modifications of fishing vessels accounted for 30% of all violations detected during a three-month crackdown on maritime safety offenses. Among those caught was a captain who operated a boat with a blood alcohol level of 0.340%.
The Korea Coast Guard announced the results of its special crackdown conducted from February to April on Thursday. A total of 492 cases involving 542 individuals were identified, averaging more than five cases per day.
The most frequently detected violation was illegal expansion and remodeling, with 144 cases, accounting for 29% of the total. Vessels were brought into compliance only during inspections, then had their hulls extended or structures altered at fishing sites. In March, a 40-ton trap fishing vessel caught at Mokpo Port was operating with its stern section illegally expanded.
Failure to maintain original condition (107 cases) and unlicensed operation (104 cases) followed. Combined with expired inspection validity (79 cases) and exceeding passenger capacity (69 cases), the top five violation types accounted for more than 80% of the total.
A case of heavily intoxicated operation was also reported. A captain in his 60s who was operating a 5-ton fishing vessel off the coast of Saha-gu in Busan recorded a blood alcohol level of 0.340%. That is 11 times the threshold for maritime license revocation (0.03%). On a road, it would warrant immediate license revocation.
"Even after the crackdown period ends, compliance with regulations by maritime workers is essential," a Coast Guard official said. "We will continue inspections for safer seas."
