Starting from 1st September, seafarers on Danish ships no longer need to hold Danish health certificates, the Danish Maritime Authority announced, in line with a changing scheme for medical examinations of seafarers and fishermen. Instead, the certificate must follow international rules.
The change removes an administrative burden and thus makes it easier to be a seafarer on Danish ships,
…noted Rasmus Høy Thomsen, Head of Office, DMA.
Specifically, this move means that there is no longer a requirement for seafarers to undergo a Danish medical examination.
Additionally, seafarers must be in possession of a valid health certificate issued on the basis of a medical examination conducted in a country that has implemented STCW and MLC.
Meanwhile, there is no longer a requirement that the master or the shipping company submit health information for the seafarers to the Danish Maritime Authority after medical visits abroad.
The seafaring officer must be able to present a valid health certificate at any time in connection with his service.
It is up to the master and the shipping company to ensure that a health certificate meets the requirements.
This is the latest in a series of actions the DMA has recently taken to reduce burden and improve shipping efficiency.
The Danish Maritime Authority recently revealed plans to start developing the new digital Danish Register of Shipping, expected to be operational by 2020.
In July, the Danish Maritime Authority informed it reached an important milestone for digital certificates in Ningbo, China. The Danish-flagged container ship ‘Mumbai Maersk’ passed Port State Control without remarks in Ningbo, only using digital certificates.
