C4.1.b. Must every ship have a ship’s doctor on board?

Under Standard A4.1, paragraphs 4(b) and (c) of the MLC, 2006 ships carrying 100 or more “persons” (i.e., who will not necessarily all be seafarers) and ordinarily engaged on international voyages of more than three days’ duration must carry a qualified medical doctor. National laws or regulations must also specify which other ships are required to carry a medical doctor, taking into account, inter alia, such factors as the duration, nature and conditions of the voyage and the number of seafarers on board. Ships which do not carry a medical doctor must have either at least one seafarer on board who is in charge of medical care and administering medicine as part of their regular duties or at least one seafarer on board competent to provide medical first aid; such persons must have satisfactorily completed training in medical care that meets the requirements of the IMO’s International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as amended (“STCW”).

Medical care on board ship and ashore