조난선박 지원에 관한 법제도 개선방안

The recent global COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on society, economy, culture, and industry worldwide. Specifically, there are problems such as crew or passengers infected with COVID-19, and port entry delays and refusals. There was a case where a ship was refused to enter a port as the crew and passengers were infected with COVID-19. Ships that were refused to enter ports without proper measures by neighboring countries were forced to witness an increase in material and human damage. In order to respond to ships in distress due to a variety of vessel accidents, including an unexpected crisis such as COVID-19, neighboring countries should provide appropriate places of refuge and conduct active support efforts such as providing technical and medical supports, and measures for recovery of seaworthiness. A place of refuge means a place where a ship in need of assistance can take measures to stabilize its condition, reduce the hazards to navigation, and protect human life and the environment. Providing place of refuge for ships in distress is effective in resolving accidents and preventing secondary damage. The international organization also recommends that each country designate and operate places of refuge. But there have been inadequate discussions on the provision of shelter for ships in distress, active support, and expansion of the concept of distress in South Korea, and the national legal system is also lacking to some extent. If a COVID-19 mass infection occurs on a ship sailing off the coast of South and a place of refuge is requested, it will be difficult for the South Korea government to respond and support. Therefore, this study reviewed the concept of distress, the necessity of providing place of refuge and related accident cases, and also examined the international norms and responses regarding the provision of support to ships in distress. Furthermore, the areas that require improvements were identified by analyzing the national legal system and the response status for ships in distress. With this as the focus, this study tried to provide solutions to the problems by suggesting policies and measures for system improvements and legal system modifications related to supporting ships in distress.