This file photo taken Aug. 8, 2023, shows vessels anchored at a port in the southeastern port city of Busan. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 30 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of foreign seafarers on longline fishing vessels is set to increase by 2,500 individuals.
The Ministry of Justice on Monday provided its final approval for a proposal that had been put forth by the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives (NFFC).
In an earlier agreement between the Federation of Korean Seafarers’ Unions (FKSU) and the NFFC, it was decided to raise the count of foreign seafarers on longline fishing vessels by 2,500.
This change will result in a total of 22,000 foreign seafarers, a rise from the current figure of 19,500. The onboard personnel count will consequently increase from 11,000 to 12,000.
Per the Guidelines for the Management of Foreign Seafarers, the allocation of foreign seafarers on longline fishing vessels must result from a voluntary agreement between the FKSU and the NFFC.
Subsequent to this, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will assess the suitability, and the final decision will rest with the Ministry of Justice.
The swift approval from the justice ministry was precipitated by the visit of leadership from the ruling People Power Party to the NFFC on May 25.
Their decision to support fishermen grappling with labor shortages was the driving factor behind this accelerated decision, as explained by the NFFC.
Furthermore, the NFFC has collaborated with the seafarers’ union to officially introduce a scheme to increment the number of foreign seafarers in the offshore gillnetting industry.
This increase will apply to vessels with 12 or more individuals on board.
The endeavor was initially part of a pilot project, and it has now received final approval from the justice ministry.
The system permitting the hiring of up to seven foreign seafarers per vessel in various industries such as bottom trawling, nearshore trawling, nearshore river trawling, nearshore longline, live squid fishing, and nearshore longline, where the onboard count exceeds 12, will also undergo a one-year pilot phase subsequent to the justice ministry’s approval.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
