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Abstract

The coastal shipping industry plays a crucial role in Korea’s industrial development by transporting essential goods for citizens and bulk shipments that are the backbone of national key industries from 28 trade ports and 22 coastal ports nationwide to inhabited islands. Since the revision of the Ship Safety Act in 2007, cargo truck drivers have been boarding the Ro-Ro (Roll-on, Roll-off) cargo ships along with the cargo as temporary passengers. However, persistent concerns have been raised about the human and cargo safety aspects of this practice in coastal shipping. This study aims to examine these issues and propose improvements to the system of temporary passenger boarding on coastal cargo ships to enhance the logistics efficiency of coastal maritime transportation. Further, it explores issues in the temporary passenger system and suggests institutional improvements based on a literature review, interpretation of international maritime conventions, and case studies on other shipping countries. The findings indicate that as status of temporary passenger, allowing individuals other than crew members and passengers to board Ro-Ro ships can lead to impeding maritime safety, and domestic laws should be amended to ensure compliance with international maritime conventions such as SOLAS Convention.

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