On November 10th and 11th, two Liaoning-registered fishing boats sank in the waters off the west coast of South Korea, resulting in 2 deaths and 12 people missing. Following the accidents, irregularities among officials from China emerged. What was even more shocking was that after a Liaoning-operated fishing boat capsized, Xu Fang, the director of the Marine and Fisheries Bureau in the BaoYuQu area of Yingkou City, Liaoning Province, tried to cover up the truth by instructing the ship owner not to call for help.
On November 9th, a Chinese fishing boat capsized near Geoje Island in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. The 98-ton fishing boat had 11 crew members on board: 6 were rescued by nearby Chinese fishing boats, 2 sailors were found to have sudden cardiac arrest upon rescue and later died, and 3 crew members remain missing.
On November 10th, a 99-ton Chinese fishing boat capsized in the waters near Gunsan City in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. The fishing boat had a total of 11 crew members on board: 2 were rescued by passing cargo ships, while the remaining 9 are missing.
On November 26th, Mr. Wang, a relative of one of the missing crew members, told reporters that two crew members on the sunken boat didn’t have certificates. “They went to sea using someone else’s certificates, and there were issues with the boat itself, such as unreasonable design and overloading,” Wang said.
“Only two people survived, the captain and the first mate. They said there was a problem with the drainage system of the fishing boat, the drainage hole was blocked, and a big wave overturned the boat,” Mr. Wang questioned, but in reality, it was far more complicated.
The consecutive sinking incidents over two days have drawn widespread attention, prompting an investigation by Liaoning authorities.
The investigation revealed that in the accident on November 10th, the owner and captain of the fishing boat, Zheng, deliberately used others’ crew qualifications to pass safety checks, and the related crew members did not actually board the ship for duty. Zheng arranged for two personnel without valid crew certificates to replace them for the sailing operation, leading to the fishing boat not meeting standards and lacking legal qualifications for sea operations. As a result, the vessel capsized during fishing operations.
On November 16th, Zheng was detained by the Yingkou police.
Public reports have shown frequent fishing boat safety accidents in Liaoning Province. In addition to the aforementioned two capsizing incidents, on October 18th this year, the “Liaosui Fishing 35261” boat capsized in the waters of Changxing Island, Dalian, Liaoning, resulting in 10 people missing.
There were also three incidents in 2024 – on October 15th, a fishing boat sank near Wafangdian City, Dalian, Liaoning, with one fisherman rescued; on November 2nd, a fishing boat registered in Panshan, Liaoning capsized, with 9 people missing; and on December 13th, a Liaoning-registered fishing boat went missing in the central part of the Yellow Sea with 12 people on board.
The Liaoning Daily recently reported that as of November 24th, the discipline and supervision organs at all levels in Liaoning Province had filed cases against 162 people, handled 30 cases, detained 31 people, and received 52 people who voluntarily surrendered. The police cracked 45 criminal cases, and 104 people were detained.
The report highlighted glaring issues revealed in the cases that have been investigated or are under investigation.
It mentioned several cases, such as Xu Fang, the Party Secretary and Director of the Marine and Fisheries Bureau in BaoYuQu area, Yingkou City, who, after a Liaoning-operated fishing boat capsized, not only failed to organize rescue efforts but also arranged for a staff member to collude with the ship owner, urging them not to report and seek help in an attempt to cover up the truth.
Currently, Xu Fang and the staff member have been investigated.
Similarly, Dong, the former captain of the ship inspection team at the Comprehensive Law Enforcement Brigade for Transportation in Huludao City, used his position to help multiple fishing boat operators falsify data and pass ship inspections, legalizing the operations of “three-no” fishing boats and receiving properties from multiple ship owners.
Zhou, the former ship inspector of the fishing boat inspection team in the Comprehensive Law Enforcement Brigade for Marine and Fisheries in Dalian, took advantage of his position to provide assistance to others in vessel inspections and related business contracting in exchange for properties.
The report mentioned that the phenomenon of enforcement officers in fishing ports receiving “benefits” from port operators and ship owners is widespread.