Fitness for sea service
Seafarers must be fit for sea service to work on board a seagoing vessel . You have to prove your physical and mental fitness with regular medical examinations - the medical fitness examinations. A seaman is fit for sea service if he meets the health requirements of his branch of service. The certificate of fitness for service at sea is proof of the suitability of the seaman. No seaman is allowed to work on a ship without a valid medical certificate.
In Germany, the Maritime Labor Act (SeeArbG) and the "Ordinance on maritime medical requirements on merchantable ships " (Maritime Medicine Ordinance - MariMedV) regulate the details of fitness for sea service. The examination to determine the fitness for service at sea is carried out by licensed doctors of the BG Verkehr - ship safety department . Doctors must meet specified quality criteria for their approval, for example have a specialist title in general medicine, anesthesiology, occupational medicine, surgery or internal medicine and have been at sea for at least four weeks. The Maritime Medical Service of the BG Verkehr is responsible for the control and quality assurance of the German medical fitness examinations.
Fitness for sea service can be determined for a maximum of two years, for young crew members (16-18 years) for a maximum of one year.
International recognition is guaranteed by the STCW code and the Maritime Labor Convention . The certification is carried out according to STCW I / 9.
literature
- Christian Bubenzer: The medical examinations of seafarers. In: Transportrecht , Issue 11 / 12-2015, pp. 427-429, Verlag Wolters Kluwer, Cologne 2015, ISSN 0174-559X .
- Christian Bubenzer: The Maritime Medicine Ordinance - New Law for Maritime Shipping. In: Flugmedizin-Tropenmedizin-Reisemedizin , issue 6/2014, pp. 311-314, Verlag Georg Thieme , Stuttgart 2014, ISSN 1864-4538 .
- Christian Bubenzer: Medical care on ships. In: Kompass , issue October 2014, pp. 3–7, Deutsche Rentenversicherung Knappschaft-Bahn-See , Bochum 2014, ISSN 0342-0809 .