Passenger ship crews to need valid medical certificates

Passenger ship crew members will not be legally registered to work on board from 1 October unless they hold a valid medical certificate from a seafarers’ doctor, mbl.is reports.

The requirement will be enforced through a lock activated in Skútan, the Transport Authority’s crew registration system for seafarers. The change appears to have surprised some whale watching operators, one source told the newspaper, with each certificate costing about 37,000 Icelandic krónur and remaining valid for two years.

The cost applies to all staff on board and comes in addition to expenses for group and emergency training courses.

Rules have been in force since 2004

“These rules are not new and have in fact been in force since 2004,” said Þórhildur Elín Elínardóttir, communications director at the Transport Authority.

She said the crew registration system would be linked in October to the requirement that passenger ship crews hold valid health certificates from seafarers’ doctors. The certificate requirement has been in place for some time, but the system change will prevent ships from being legally registered unless their crew members’ certificates are valid.

“This is intended to ensure that the systems work better together and to make sure all requirements are met,” Elínardóttir said.

She said the health certificate requirements were based on international conventions to which Iceland is a party, and that no new requirements were being introduced.

Passenger ships, particularly whale watching vessels that are registered daily and have frequent crew changes because of the number of trips they operate, are now facing the need to have valid certificates in place. Under the rules, a ship may not leave port unless all crew members have been legally registered.

Passenger boats are licensed to carry a specified number of passengers, and their staffing requirements are linked to that number and to the crew members’ roles in the vessels’ emergency plans.

“Each crew member has a specific role on board and must be capable of carrying it out. It is not a minor matter that crew members must be physically healthy enough to perform these duties if something happens,” Elínardóttir said.

She said it was difficult to determine whether operators’ surprise at the change indicated that some crews had not held valid certificates. The Icelandic Coast Guard is responsible for inspections in the field, while improved electronic monitoring of the registration system would make follow-up easier and increase the safety of crews and passengers.

Regarding the cost, Elínardóttir noted that many seafarers’ doctors work in Iceland and must meet specific conditions to practise in that role. Their fees are not set by the Transport Authority.

“Of course, people may find it burdensome to have to pay this. But the operating licence is tied to this requirement, and maintaining it costs money,” she said.