Guidance

MIN 616 (M+F) Amendment 7 COVID-19 guidance on minimising risk to ships’ crews and other maritime sector workers

Updated 8 April 2022

This guidance was withdrawn on

This notice is no longer current.

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Summary

This notice gives guidance for companies and employers regarding COVID-19 (coronavirus).

COVID-19 will remain a public health issue, and guidance for workplaces is being replaced with public health advice. This notice updates previous guidance on managing the risks to seafarers from COVID-19 in the light of that change.

In this notice “shipowner” includes fishing vessel owner and “seafarers” includes fishermen.

Amendment 7 ensures consistency with current UK government guidance.

1. Introduction

1.1 Keeping shipping services running during the current COVID-19 pandemic is vital to the fight against and recovery from the outbreak and seafarers have been identified as key workers.

1.2 The International Safety Management Code section 1.2.2. says that:

Safety management objectives of the Company should, inter alia:

  • 1 provide for safe practices in ship operation and a safe working environment;
  • 2 assess all identified risks to its ships, personnel and the environment and establish appropriate safeguards

1.3 Shipowners are no longer routinely required to consider COVID-19 in their risk assessments or to have specific measures in place. Seafarers should be consulted on changes to safety measures which might affect their health and safety. There is a requirement to protect those who will come into contact with the virus due to their work activity – i.e. those working with people known to have the virus, such as in a medical facility.

1.4 Under the merchant shipping and fishing vessels (health and safety at work) regulations 1997, employers and shipowners of course continue to have a duty to ensure the health and safety of seafarers and others affected by their undertaking and to put in place measures to reduce risks so far as is reasonably practicable.

2. Government Guidance

2.1 COVID-19 remains a public health issue and there is public health advice that businesses can use to reduce the risk.

GOV.UK Coronavirus

2.2 The following guidance remains relevant:

Changes to testing for COVID-19

COVID-19: Vaccination, testing and treatment for overseas visitors

More Information

Seafarer Safety and Health Branch
Maritime and Coastguard Agency
Bay 2/17, Spring Place
105 Commercial Road
Southampton
SO16 3GJ

Telephone: +44(0)203 81 72250

Email: seafarersafety@mcga.gov.uk

Website: www.gov.uk/mca

General enquiries: infoline@mcga.gov.uk

Please note that all addresses and telephone numbers are correct at time of publishing.

Published: April 2022

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