South Korea re-notices ship entry-exit law amendment to tighten port safety

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has issued a re-legislation notice (재입법예고) for a partial amendment to the Act on the Entry and Departure of Ships (선박의 입항 및 출항 등에 관한 법률), published in the Republic of Korea Official Gazette (관보) No. 21316 of 7 September 2026 under Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Notice No. 2026-1304. The measure tightens port safety management by delegating the scope of self-safety management plans to a Presidential Decree and by imposing a new legal duty on dangerous-goods handling operators to provide handling information.

The notice, signed by the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries on 7 September 2026, is issued under Article 41 of the Administrative Procedures Act (행정절차법). It is a re-notice, meaning the draft was previously announced and has been revised before a final version is adopted. Interested agencies, organisations and individuals may submit comments until 18 September 2026.

Why the law is being amended

Under current rules, anyone who intends to handle dangerous goods in the water areas of a trade port must establish a self-safety management plan and obtain approval from the managing authority. However, the law does not specify who is actually required to draw up such a plan, so even operators transporting essential goods for island residents — such as fuel oil and gas — could be interpreted as falling within the obligation.

To remove that ambiguity, the amendment delegates to a Presidential Decree (시행령) the determination of which dangerous-goods handlers must establish a self-safety management plan. The aim is to align the scope of the requirement with the purpose for which the plan was introduced.

Key changes in the draft

The draft introduces three main amendments:

• Article 32(4) — Strengthened handling-information provision for dangerous-goods entry declarations: dangerous-goods handling operators are now legally obliged to provide handling information to the person filing the entry declaration, to improve the accuracy of such declarations.
• Article 34(1) — Delegation of the self-safety management plan scope: the categories of dangerous-goods handlers required to establish a self-safety management plan are to be set by Presidential Decree.
• Article 35(1) — Differentiated safety measures: persons who are not required to establish a self-safety management plan but who handle dangerous goods in the water areas of a trade port will be subject to lighter safety obligations, easing the regulatory burden.

The change to Article 32(4) extends the existing duty to provide dangerous-goods information — currently borne by shipping companies, freight forwarders, shipping agencies and cargo owners — to dangerous-goods handling operators as well.

How to submit comments

Comments on the draft may be submitted through the National Participation Legislation Center (opinion.lawmaking.go.kr) or by sending a written opinion to the Port Safety and Security Division of the Maritime Transport and Logistics Bureau of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries in Busan.

• Address: 14, Jungang-daero 361beon-gil, Dong-gu, Busan (postal code 48789)
• E-mail: kds200204@korea.kr
• Telephone: 051-773-5794 / Fax: 051-773-5789

The amendment carries broad implications for the shipping, logistics and port industries, since it clarifies who must bear the cost of self-safety management planning while extending information duties to dangerous-goods handling operators. For operators moving essential fuels and gas to island communities, the delegation to the Presidential Decree is expected to narrow the scope of the obligation and reduce compliance burdens, while the new handling-information duty strengthens oversight of dangerous-goods movements through Korea’s trade ports.

Source: Republic of Korea Official Gazette (관보), No. 21316, 7 September 2026, Section I (official reference: Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Notice No. 2026-1304).