FAQs- Ship Sanitation Certificates
1) A ship arrives in my port without a valid ship sanitation certificate what do I do?
2) What if I find evidence of a public health risk?
3) Can I issue a deratting certificate?
3a) Do I accept a deratting certificate?
4) What language should the certificate be in?
5) How much can I charge for a Ship Sanitation Certificate?
6) What guidance is available?
7) When is further guidance being issued?
9) Where can I find the relevant legislation?
10) Where can I find more information?
No Valid Certificate
1) A ship arrives in my port without a valid de rat or ship sanitation certificate what do I do?
Inspect the ship and if there is no evidence of public health risk you must issue a ship sanitation exemption certificate. You may extend the validity of an existing certificate for 1 month.
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2) What if I find evidence of a public health risk?
If you find a problem during a routine inspection a note should be added to the current certificate.
Or if you are inspecting a ship to issue a SSCC:
WHO Advice
If evidence of a public health risk is found on board the competent authority satisfactorily completes or supervises the completion of the necessary control measures and is required to issue a SSCC. If, in the opinion of the competent authority, the conditions under which control measures are carried out at the port are such that a satisfactory result cannot be obtained, this should be noted on the existing SSCC. The control measures must be completed before a further SSCC is issued.
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Issuing Certificates
3) Can I issue a deratting certificate?
3a) Do I accept a deratting certificate?
WHO Advice
The latest date that a Deratting Certificate can be issued is one day prior to the entry into force of IHR (2005) or 14 June 2007. A Deratting Certificate issued on that date is valid for a maximum of six months, or until 14 December 2007. During the six month period from 14 June to 14 December 2007 both unexpired DC/DEC and newly issued SSCEC/SSCC will be in use. After 15 December 2007 no Deratting Certificate will be valid.
APHA Note
While de ratting and de ratting exemption certificates are no longer legal documents after 15th June, some port health authorities in England and Germany are issuing an amended version of the de ratting exemption certificate alongside the Ship Sanitation Certificate. After 15th December deratting certificates are not valid.
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4) What language should the certificate be in?
WHO Advice
To facilitate marine transportation and to keep the interference with that
goal to the minimum, our legal expert advise us that these certificates be fully completed in English or French. The certificate may also be completed in
another language on the same document, in addition to either English or
French.
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Charges
5) How much can I charge for a Ship Sanitation Certificate?
Unlike the de ratting certificates there is no set fee. APHA members agreed to continue to charge the same as for deratting certificates up until the end of 2007. A charging review was undertaken involving member authorities and a standard charging policy for the UK was agreed at the Environmental Health and Hygiene committee in December 2007. It is hoped all authorities will adopt the charges which can be viewed here. Authorities must publish charges at least 10 days before they come into force.
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Guidance
6) What guidance is available?
APHA is advising its members to carry out inspections in line with the APHA toolbox. This is an agreed standard throughout the UK. Copies are available from APHA HQ or to download. The WHO have published interim technical advice for ship sanitation certificates which is available on the WHO website.
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7) When is further guidance being issued?
The responsibility to issue guidance rests with the World Health Organisation. APHA members have worked with the WHO to produce standard operating procedures. When guidance is published by WHO it will be available on the WHO website.
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Issues of Public Health Concern
8) Can you clarify the action we should take if a vessel arrives in port and there is an issue of public health concern that can not be remedied in port?
We have no powers to detain the ship until the situation is rectified.
WHO Advice
Article 27.2 of the IHRs would apply. The IHRs are available on the WHO website.
If the competent authority for the point of entry is not able to carry out the control measures required under this Article, the affected conveyance may nevertheless be allowed to depart, subject to the following conditions:
(a) The competent authority shall, at the time of departure, inform the competent authority for the next known point of entry of the type of information referred to under subparagraph (b); and
(b) In the case of a ship, the evidence found and the control measures required shall be noted in the Ship Sanitation Control Certificate.
APHA Advice
When an issue of public health concern is found it must be noted on the ship sanitation certificate, along with the date it is rectified. If the work is unable to be completed before the vessel sails you must notify the next port. If the defect is serious you should use the MoU and request the MCA to detain the ship using their powers. The Department of Health are urging PHAs to take a softly softly approach. It may be simpler to use other available legislation to ensure contraventions are dealt with, until WHO guidance is forthcoming.
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9) Where can I find the relevant legislation?
The Public Health (Ships) Amendment Regulations 2007 can be viewed on the OPSI website.
England
Wales
Scotland
Northern Ireland- the legislation is not currently in place in Northern Ireland
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10) Where can I find more information?
More information on ship sanitation certificates is available on our Ship Inspection page.
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