Disease Suspected on Board Ship

When arriving from a foreign port, a Master of a ship is required to report to the Port Health Authority any suspected infectious disease or death on board amongst crew, passengers or any animals or birds. This report should be made not less than 4 hours and not more than 12 hours before arrival.

Such reportable incidents include:

a. the occurrence on board ship before arrival of

i. the death of a person otherwise than as a result of an accident, or

ii. illness where the person who is ill has or had a temperature of 38¼C or greater which was accompanied by a rash, glandular swelling or jaundice, or where such temperature persisted for more than 48 hours, or

iii. illness where the person has or had diarrhoea severe enough to interfere with work or normal activities;

b. the presence on board of a person who is suffering from an infectious disease or who has symptoms which may indicate the presence of an infectious disease;

c. any other circumstances on board which are likely to cause the spread of infectious disease; and

d. the presence of animals or captive birds, and the occurrence of mortality or sickness amongst such animals or birds.

Where a report is required The Public Health (Ships) Regulations 1979 specify that, no person other than a pilot, customs officer, immigration officer or port health officer shall board or leave a ship without consent of the Port Health Authority. The ship is required to obtain a free pratique for health clearance.

‘Pratique' is a permission granted by the port medical authorities to a vessel, on its arrival from a foreign port, for her crew to go ashore and visitors to come onboard. If a ship is not given ‘free pratique', either because of serious infectious diseases being onboard or because the vessel has arrived from an infected zone, it is likely to have quarantine restrictions imposed on her.

A vessel requiring health clearance should show by day the international flag signal QQ, or by night a red light over a white light about 2 meters apart visible all around the horizon. The Master may be required to complete a Maritime Declaration of Health and should also have ready for the port health officer a list of passengers and crew leaving the ship together with the addresses they are going to in the United Kingdom.

The Port Health Authority can be contacted through a shipping agent or the port radio should be able to provide a direct contact. A Medical Officer or other officer of the PHA will board and grant health clearance when there has occurred on the ship any of the circumstances in either (a), (b) or (c) above.

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