OpenLegislation

Explanatory note

Original text. Later amendments are not shown.

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Merchant Shipping (Medical Examination) Regulations 2002 (“the 2002 Regulations”).

Regulation 2(2) corrects a defect in regulation 2(1) of the 2002 Regulations. Accordingly, these Regulations are being issued free of charge to all known recipients of the 2002 Regulations.

Regulation 2(3) amends regulation 6 of the 2002 Regulations so that it refers to Merchant Shipping Notice No. MSN 1788(M). MSN 1788(M) is a new separate Merchant Shipping Notice which lists the non UK countries whose national seafarer medical certificates are deemed to be equivalent to a medical fitness certificate issued under regulation 7 of the 2002 Regulations. This list was previously contained within Merchant Shipping Notice No. 1765(M).

Regulation 2(4) amends regulation 14 of the 2002 Regulations so that a seafarer employed on a non UK ship to which regulation 14 applies may hold a medical fitness certificate as defined in regulation 2 of the 2002 Regulations or an ILO compliant certificate. This is a certificate of medical fitness which complies with certain provisions of the Medical Examination (Seafarers) Convention 1946 (Convention 73 of the International Labour Organisation). UK medical fitness certificates issued under regulation 7 of the 2002 Regulations already comply with these provisions.

International Labour Organisation Conventions are published by the International Labour Organisation and copies may be obtained from ILO Publications, International Labour Office, CH-211 Geneva 22, Switzerland.

Merchant Shipping Notices are published by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. They can be read or downloaded free from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency website (www.mcga.gov.uk). Printed copies may be obtained from Mail Marketing (Scotland), Unit 6, Bloomsgrove Industrial Estate, Norton Street, Nottingham, NG7 3JG (telephone 0115 901 3336).

A Regulatory Impact Assessment has not been produced for this instrument because it has no impact on the costs of business, charities or voluntary bodies.