Chinese squid fishing boat lands 15 seriously ill crew members in less than three years

A Chinese squid fishing vessel operating in South American waters as a hospital made 13 emergency calls in Callao, Peru, between October 2021 and February 2024, reports Mongabay.

The ship, Zhe Pu Yuan 98, transferred 15 seriously ill crew members. A total of 37 sick or injured crew members and one deceased worker were brought to port from Chinese ships during this period.

Maritime experts warn the arrangement could help ships avoid port checks while raising serious security concerns. “You can’t have a hospital and be a fishing boat at the same time; the health standards are not the same,” said Milko Schvartzman, an expert on Chinese fleet operations.

The South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization has no regulatory framework for vessels performing dual functions as fishing vessels and medical vessels.

In July 2020, a team from The Outlaw Ocean Project, a nonprofit journalism group based in Washington, D.C., confirmed that the Zhe Pu Yuan 98 was being used as a floating hospital for China’s fleet of squid ships operating in high seas. Wed, according to the article.