Deadly boat accident cover-up reveals corruption in China’s fishing industry

A local government official in northeast China has been accused of covering up a fishing boat accident and preventing the vessel’s owner from calling the police for help, and investigations sparked by the incident have exposed a series of corruption cases related to fishing industry safety.

The accident took place on November 10. A boat registered in Yingkou, Liaoning province, capsized while crew members were fishing, causing 11 to fall into the water. Two were rescued and nine have been reported missing, according to the Liaoning Daily on Wednesday.

Official investigations found corruption in the approval process and arrangements for the fishing trip.

The boat owner, surnamed Zheng, used other people’s qualifications to get past safety checks. During the trip, he arranged for two people who lacked valid crew certificates to board the boat. This meant the fishing vessel failed to meet requirements for offshore operations, resulting in serious safety risks, the report said. Zheng was detained by local police on November 16.

The party secretary of a local district fisheries and marine bureau not only delayed rescue but also had a staff member convince the boat owner not to call the police in an attempt to cover up the truth. The report said the official and staff member, surnamed Xu and Chi, respectively, were awaiting trial.

On November 11, the Chinese embassy in South Korea said in a statement that two fishing vessels had capsized in waters near the country in the two days prior, leaving two dead and 12 missing. One of the incidents the embassy described matched the details in the Yingkou report.

South China Morning Post