Seafood Task Force Continues to Build Vessel Owner Capacity on Health & Safety at Sea - May '26
Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 5th May, 2026
As part of STF’s Tuna Risk Assurance Programme, a 2-day training session was held in Kaohsiung last month.
Co-hosted by FCF Co., Ltd., and led by the Seafood Task Force (STF), the event trained 70+ vessel representatives to enhance health and safety practices for Taiwan’s distant-water fishing fleet.
The training sessions addressed recurring health, safety, and management system gaps identified through the STF’s 2024–2025 annual vessel assessment program, which spanned eight global ports and covered two vessel types. Day one focused on owners and representatives of Taiwan-flagged purse seine vessels, with 30+ participants in attendance; day two brought together 40+ participants from the longliner fleet.
Training was delivered by Sharona Su and Chen Seak Moon, senior sustainability specialists from The BSI (The British Standards Institution), covering the STF Code of Conduct and Vessel Auditable Standards. The sessions focused on practical health and safety topics including risk assessment, PPE, first aid, and fire safety. These were tailored by vessel type – with different scenarios for purse seiner and longliner crews – all delivered through group discussions and hands-on exercises. The training drew on real non-compliance findings from STF vessel assessments. Participants left with ready-to-use tools including policy templates, risk assessment forms, and safety checklists.
The workshops form part of the STF’s broader strategy to embed sustainable practices at the vessel level, which is the most upstream point in the tuna supply chain. FCF’s co-hosting of the event reflects growing industry commitment to transitioning from audit compliance towards professional governance and fleet-wide management capability. Participants were encouraged to cascade the training across their fleets, reinforcing responsible fishing practices and the protection of fishers’ labor rights.
STF Executive Director, Martin Thurley said:
“These most recent trainings demonstrate what’s possible when our members commit to going beyond audit readiness to investing in meaningful and lasting capability. Taiwan’s distant-water fleet plays a vital role in global tuna supply chains. Our STF Risk-Based Assurance Programme includes vital trainings like this to equip vessel owners with practical tools and frameworks that help enable them to manage health and safety, thus ensuring Taiwan remains a trusted and competitive supplier in international markets. Our goal is not one of compliance for its own sake, but systemic improvement that makes a real difference to the safety and welfare of fishers at sea.
This event will be followed by ongoing STF engagement to monitor progress and support vessel owners in implementing the management systems developed during the training.
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For media inquiries, please contact: stf@thephagroup.com
About the Seafood Task Force:
The Seafood Task Force (STF) was established in 2014 to restore global confidence to trade, following concerns about social and environmental abuse in global tuna and shrimp supply chains. It is made up of over 50 major retailers, brands, food service companies and their supply chain partners.
The STF drives supply chain oversight at scale, pioneering a pro-competitive approach that makes it easier for its members to meet international standards and growing due diligence requirements.
The STF is a US-based, not-for-profit trade association established for the seafood industry by the seafood industry. Its vision is a future where its members’ seafood supply chains are fully traceable, free from the risk of human rights violations and free from environmental degradation.
For more information: https://seafoodtaskforce.global/