Press Releases > PR Room > Korea Maritime Transportation Safety Authority

Press Releases

Risk for Safety Accidents on Fishing Vessels Rises with an Increase in Fishing Operations in the Fall: KOMSA Reinforces On-site Inspections and Prevention Education

WriterMaritime Transportation Policy Office
Hits15
Date2026-09-29 15:30:26
Content Risk for Safety Accidents on Fishing Vessels Rises with an Increase in Fishing Operations in the Fall: KOMSA Reinforces On-site Inspections and Prevention Education - Over the past five years, safety accidents accounted for only 5.3% of all maritime accidents, but 59.8% of the total casualties. - For casualties resulting from safety accidents, 77.4% occurred on fishing vessels, and the number of these accidents on fishing vessels is the highest in the fall throughout the year. - From September to November, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and relevant agencies conduct joint safety inspections. KOMSA disseminates safety rules with short-form videos recreating the scene and accident prevention manuals in multiple languages. Maritime accident statistics used in this article are the result of KOMSA’s independent analysis using the Maritime Transportation Safety Information System (MTIS), whose operation was entrusted by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) to the Korea Maritime Transportation Safety Authority (KOMSA), based on the statistics of the Korea Maritime Safety Tribunal (KMST) of MOF. < Summary > ◇ Safety accidents accounted for just 5.3% of all maritime accidents, but 59.8% of the total casualties. • Over the last five years, among 17,036 ships involved in maritime accidents, 898 ships suffered from safety accidents (5.3%). • During the same period, among 614 casualties from maritime accidents, 367 casualties were caused by safety accidents (59.8%). - When it comes to all those who died or went missing in maritime accidents last year, 84 people (61.3%) died or went missing due to safety accidents, and the severity level of these accidents stood at 36.2%, which was among the highest. ◇ 77.4% of casualties that resulted from safety accidents occurred on fishing vessels, and the casualties were concentrated in fishing operations in the fall. • Over the past five years, among 367 casualties of safety accidents, 284 (77.4%) people were killed or injured on fishing vessels. - For the severity level of safety accidents by type of fishery business, it is 59.6% for coastal pot fishery, 47.9% for coastal mixed fishery, and 39.2% for coastal gill net fishery. • In the fall (from September to November) last year, the number of ships that went out fishing was 1,504,926, the highest among the four seasons. - The number of casualties from safety accidents on fishing vessels was 17 in September 2025, which increased by 13 from 4 in the same month of 2024. ◇ Relevant agencies conduct joint inspections of fishing vessels vulnerable to accidents from September to November to reinforce prevention activities on the ground. • Relevant agencies – MOF, KOMSA, Korea Coast Guard, local governments, and the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives – jointly carry out safety inspections on vulnerable fishing vessels for three months, from September to November. - They focus on fishing vessels: those that did not receive safety inspections for the past three years; those that recently experienced accidents; those that have a small number of crew members working during fishing operations; and those that are worn out. • KOMSA provides about one-minute-long short-from videos that recreated actual scenes of fishing operations, and manuals including accident cases and rules about accident prevention in multiple languages. • The institution promotes a “project to support creating a clean working environment on fishing vessels” for coastal and inshore fishing vessels. - It offers support to improve the onboard working environment, such as safety equipment – CCTVs and cameras for fishing operations at night – and equipment for preventing heat-related illnesses. On September 9, the Korea Maritime Transportation Safety Authority (KOMSA, President Young-Cheul Ahn) announced that the institution would reinforce safety accident prevention activities for fishing vessels, including joint inspections with relevant agencies and prevention education, this fall, when fishing vessels increase their operations. Safety accidents account for only 5.3% of total maritime accidents but constitute 59.8% of casualties. KOMSA’s analysis of maritime accident statistics from the past five years (2021-2025) using the Maritime Transportation Safety Information System (MTIS) showed that among a total of 17.036 maritime accident cases, 898 cases were safety accidents*, accounting for 5.3%**. * Safety accidents are those resulting in deaths, missing persons or injuries due to causes unrelated to collision, capsizing, and sinking (source: KMST). ** The current status of the occurrence of maritime accidents over the past five years (2021-2025): engine damage 27.5% (4,683 ships) > collision: 15.0% (2,553 ships) > entanglement by a floating object: 12.6% (2,150 ships) > flooding: 7.2% (1,225 ships) > propulsion shafting system damage: 5.6% (958 ships) > safety accidents: 5.3% (898 ships) On the other hand, casualties from safety accidents amounted to 367, accounting for 59.8%* of total casualties of 614 caused by maritime accidents during the same period. * The current status of the occurrence of casualties resulted from maritime accidents: safety accident: 59.8% (367 people) > capsizing: 19.7% (121 people) > collision: 8.6% (53 people) > fire and explosion: 3.4% (21 people) > stranding: 1.6% (10 people) This trend was more pronounced last year, 2025. Among people who died or went missing from maritime accidents, 84 people or 61.3% suffered that tragedy due to safety accidents*. A “severity level”, which is the ratio of the number of deaths and missing persons to the number of ships involved in accidents, stood at 36.2% for safety accidents, which was the highest. By type of accident, the number of falling overboard cases caused by a false step or waves, was the highest while it amounted to 20 or 23.8%, which was followed by 12 cases (14.3%) of deaths and missing persons without witnesses, 11 cases (13.1%) of deaths and missing persons during solo fishing operations, and 10 cases (11.9%) of struck by objects or ropes. * The current status of the occurrence of casualties by type of accident: falling overboard due to a false step or waves: 23.8% (20 people) > deaths and missing persons without witnesses: 14.3% (12 people) > deaths and missing persons during solo fishing operations: 13.1% (11 people) > struck by objects or ropes: 11.9% (10 people) 77.4% of casualties resulted from safety accidents on fishing vessels; it is important to observe safety rules during fishing operations. Casualties resulting from safety accidents were concentrated on fishing vessels. Over the past five years (2021-2025), among 367 safety accident casualties, those on fishing vessels were 284, accounting for 77.4%*. * The current status of the occurrence of casualties by purpose of ship: fishing vessels: 77.4% (284 people) > general ships: 20.2% (74 people) > recreational watercraft: 2.5% (9 people) The severity level of safety accidents by type of fishery business was the highest for coastal pot fishery at 59.6%. This was followed by 47.9% of coastal mixed fishery, 39.2% of coastal gill net fishery, 38.4% of inshore gill net fishery, and 37% of inshore anchored net fishery. In particular, the fall is the season when fishing operations are concentrated. Last year, the number of ships that went out fishing was 1,504,926 in the fall (from September to November), which was the highest* among all seasons. * The current status of ships that went out fishing in the fall of 2025 (source: MOF): 1,504,926 ships in the fall (from September to November) > 1,373,932 ships in summer (from June to August) > 1,270,197 ships in spring (from March to May) > 974,510 ships in winter (from December to February) In the fall, safety risk rises because of high waves caused by storms and seasonal winds, and long-hour or nighttime fishing operations, along with an increase in fishing operations. In September last year (2025), casualties resulting from safety accidents on fishing vessels grew by thirteen to seventeen from four in the same month two years ago. An employee of KOMSA said, “Since in the fall, more ships go out fishing, and they engage in fishing operations for long hours, it is important to check risk factors before starting the operations. A large number of accidents can be prevented just by checking the condition of ships before departure and following basic safety rules during operations.” Relevant agencies conduct joint inspections on vulnerable fishing vessels from September to November, reinforcing prevention activities on the ground. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries conducts joint safety inspections together with relevant agencies for three months from September to November to prevent accidents on fishing vessels in the fall. MOF, KOMSA, Fisheries Management Service, Regional Office of Oceans and Fisheries, Korea Coast Guard, local governments, and the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives participate in the inspections. They focus on fishing vessels relatively vulnerable to accidents: those that did not receive safety inspections for the past three years; those that have an accident history over the past six months; those with two or fewer crew members on board; and worn-out fishing vessels. KOMSA also reinforces prevention education to help fishermen abide by safety rules, along with on-site inspections. The institution produced about one-minute-long short-form videos of accident scenarios that can happen at the site of fishing operations, and tips on preventive behavior. It also provides safety accident prevention manuals that include real-life accident cases and prevention rules tailored to the needs on the ground. It also offers the translated version of these manuals for foreign seafarers in English, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and Chinese. In addition, KOMSA carries out a project to improve the working environment on fishing vessels. It promotes a “project to support creating a clean working environment on fishing vessels” for coastal and inshore fishing vessels that have a high risk of safety accidents, in partnership with MOF. It offers support for installing facilities and equipment to avoid safety accidents, such as marine electric ranges, CCTVs, cameras for nighttime fishing operations, and collision warning systems, as well as various kinds of equipment to prevent heat-related illnesses. KOMSA received applications for the project from April to August and is currently installing facilities and equipment on selected fishing vessels. Down the road, it will expand the list of items that it will provide. Short-form videos providing guidelines and manuals for preventing safety accidents are currently available at KOMSA’s official website and its official YouTube channel, “HaesuhoTV.” * Link to short-form videos providing guidelines for preventing safety accidents: http://www.youtube.com/@HaesuhoTV * Link to safety accident prevention manuals: https://www.komsa.or.kr/bbs/BBSMSTR_000000000733.do Young-Cheul Ahn, President of KOMSA, stated, “As fishing operations are concentrated in the fall, it is important to check the condition of ships and the onboard working environment thoroughly before departure, and observe basic safety rules.” “KOMSA will make efforts to protect the safety of seafarers by continuously conducting on-site inspections, providing prevention education, and improving the working environment,” he added. The image of the cover of Guide to Occupational Accident Prevention on General Ships The image of the cover of Fishing Vessel Safety Accident Prevention Manual Short-form videos providing guidelines for preventing safety accidents on general ships and fishing vessels