Quarterly Public Disclosure System for Ship Owners Violating Seamen's Act and Related Laws
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism announced on August 18, 2025, the public disclosure of ship owners who violated the Seamen's Act and related laws during the first quarter of FY2025 (April-June). This disclosure system is implemented to ensure proper development of seamen's working conditions and work environments, and to secure safe navigation of vessels, functioning as a warning for ship owners regarding seamen accident prevention, awareness raising, legal compliance, and navigation safety assurance.
Purpose and Significance of the Disclosure System
This system serves as an important policy tool aimed at improving seamen's working environments and ensuring maritime traffic safety. By regularly disclosing legal violations in the shipping industry, it promotes enhanced legal compliance awareness among operators and encourages voluntary industry-wide improvements. The disclosure system also provides social sanctions that are expected to have deterrent effects on violations, playing a significant role in protecting seamen's rights and ensuring maritime safety.
Detailed Criteria for Disclosure
Ship owners subject to disclosure are classified into three categories. First, operators who fail to comply with "corrective orders" based on Article 101, Paragraph 1 of the Seamen's Act are targeted. Second, operators who violate the Seamen's Act and related laws and reach 120 points or more under the cumulative point system are included. This point system calculates cumulative violations over a maximum period of two years. Third, other ship owners deemed necessary for disclosure are also included, with comprehensive judgments made considering maliciousness and magnitude of impact.
Comprehensive Scope of Applicable Laws
The laws subject to the disclosure system comprise a comprehensive group of laws related to seamen's working environments, centered on the Seamen's Act, including the Labor Standards Act, Act on Ensuring Payment of Wages, Act on Promotion of Seamen's Accident Prevention Activities, and Minimum Wage Act. These laws are interrelated and form a comprehensive seamen protection system. Violation contents span a wide range including working hours, unpaid wages, and inadequate safety management, covering all aspects of basic seamen's rights and safety assurance.
Implementation Method and Social Impact of Disclosure
Information on disclosed ship owners is posted on the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism website for six months and deleted after the period expires. This limited-term posting achieves a balance between motivation for improvement and excessive social sanctions. Regular quarterly disclosure maintains a continuous monitoring system and is expected to have educational effects on the entire industry. Through this system, the goal is to achieve gradual improvement in seamen's working environments and enhancement of maritime traffic safety.