Ship
Ming Xiang 898
Ship
Ming Xiang 898
Previously named Han Rong 363, 汉荣363
Ship Details
- IMO
- 9886903
- MMSI
- 412410055
- Call Sign
- BZW3I
- Status
- Active
Operator: Zhoushan Mingxiang Marine Fish
Crimes & Concerns
- Labor & Human Rights
The Ming Xiang 898 is directly associated with labor & human rights issues such as violation of bycatch, quota or species rules, forced labor, worker death, and beriberi symptoms.
View notes
View notes
- Summary of crew member deaths and potential beriberi cases
- The Ming Xiang 898 is associated with at least one crew member death and at least one potential beriberi case, including at least one potential beriberi death.
- Labor & Human Rights
- An Indonesian worker onboard the Ming Xiang 898, while it was named Han Rong 363 and operated by Zhejiang Hai Rong Ocean Fisheries, reported the vessel to the Indonesian Migrant Workers Union between May 2019 and June 2020\. The ship was a Chinese purse seiner operating in the Laccadive Sea. The fisher reported not returning to port for much of his trip. “We never went ashore at all, not even for fuel oil,” he said. “All transactions took place in the middle of the sea.” He also reported shark fishing taking place onboard. “The shark fins that were dried out, some were taken to the collecting vessel,” he said.
In total, four workers onboard the Han Rong 363 made complaints to the Indonesian Migrant Workers Union between May 2019 and June 2020\. They shared their experiences and the problems they faced, which matched categories that the International Labour Organization, the UN agency for workers’ rights, say are indicators of forced labor. These included: abuse of vulnerability, deception, restriction of movement, isolation, physical violence, intimidation and threats, retention of identity documents, withholding of wages, debt bondage, abusive working and living conditions, and excessive overtime. The testimonies were published in a 2021 Greenpeace report.[^1]
One crew member died from unspecified illness in 2020. The deckhand exhibited symptoms of beriberi.
Testimonials
Indonesian crew members aboard the China-flagged trawler, the Han Rong 363, reported being given water “once every two days, like a chicken,” according to a South China Morning Post article published in 2021.[^35]