The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Aug. 31 announced a partial amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Quarantine Act to revise ship quarantine procedures to focus on infectious disease risk and align the domestic system of vessel sanitation management with World Health Organization standards. Shown is a container ship from port-related industries entering Busan Port. (Busan Port Authority)
By Margareth Theresia
An advanced quarantine system to slash the waiting time of vessels and stimulate the flow of marine logistics will start operations on Oct. 1.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Aug. 31 said this in announcing a partial amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Quarantine Act. This revision shifts the focus of ship quarantine procedures to infectious disease risk and aligns the domestic system of vessel sanitation management with World Health Organization standards.
From Oct. 1, ships changing crew members within quarantine controlled areas will be exempt from on-board quarantine inspections. Instead, related resources will concentrate on "high-risk vessels" that pose a major risk of infectious disease transmission such those with confirmed cases or deaths from quarantinable infectious diseases, the presence of a vector habitat, or the natural environment where a disease-carrying organism like a mosquito or flea lives, breeds and finds hosts, or ships without a valid ship sanitation certificate or an expired one.
Thanks to the amendment, some 10,000 vessels every year can enter domestic ports quickly solely through document reviews. On-schedule port entry and cargo handling are expected to greatly boost operational efficiency in shipping, while the focus of quarantine resources on high-risk vessels will streamline the nation's capacity to respond to infectious disease.
If an e-document review indicates the need to assess health status, an on-site medical and hygiene inspection will follow immediately to ensure no blind spots in disease prevention.
margareth@korea.kr
