- Hosting an online workshop to share performance reports on the transferred training vessel -

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF; Minister MOON, Seong-Hyeok) announced its hosting of the online Workshop for Enhanced Collaboration in the Development of Maritime Officers between Korea and Vietnam on 3rd March (Thursday). The workshop is prepared to jointly review the performance of ‘Hannaraho,’ the training vessel transferred to Vietnam from Korea Maritime University, and to discuss plans for future collaboration regarding the development of maritime officers.

Having faced challenges in the development of maritime officers due to the lack of large-scale training vessels in the past, Vietnam inquired about the possibility of Korea transferring a training vessel during the 2018 「Korea-Vietnam Summit」. The two nations officially agreed on the transfer in 2019 at the 「Korea-ASEAN Special Summit」, and completed the transfer of the training vessel Hannaraho (3,460 ton class) from Korea Maritime University, which was slated for retirement, to Vietnam in September 2020.

Since then, Vietnam has renamed the vessel ‘Viêt-Han’, signifying its friendly relations with Korea, and propelled its maritime officer education and training programs forward at full speed. From Jan 2021, the Vietnam Maritime University started to provide on-deck training* to about 400 students and 60 faculty members per annum, thereby reducing the time required for nurturing maritime officers from 5 to 4 years. With the practical education and training using the large-scale vessel, the educational infrastructure was now in place to foster high quality maritime human resources.
* Providing support for Vietnamese students to acquire maritime officer licensure by providing programs on navigation, technical operation, and emergency response

Furthermore, this has served as an opportunity to expand the collaborative relationship between the two nations from the previous fisheries and marine environment to include marine transportation, thereby covering the holistic marine and fisheries sector. This was a tangible feat in Korea’s collaboration with Vietnam, a key nation in the New Southern Policy for Korea.

Director Kim, Hyun-Tae of the International Cooperation Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries commented, “We hope that Vietnam will continue to foster a stable supply of quality maritime officer resources with its education and training programs that leverage large-scale vessels.” He also added, “(the Ministry) will continue to develop cooperative programs that meet local needs, as was seen in the case of Vietnam, for Korea to expand its cooperative relationships with other countries in line with its New Southern Policy.”