Lesson 5 · 16 min
MLC 2006 inspection and the ship's medical care
You will know how the maritime labour certificate is inspected and renewed, what an inspector checks in the medical locker, and which amendments apply now and from 2027.
Start here
The 2-minute primer
New to this? These 6 cards explain the lesson in plain words. Go through them first and the lesson will make sense.
Primer done.
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1/6Picture this
A school trip far from home
Think of a school trip to a camp far from any town. The teachers make sure everyone is fed, rested and has a decent bed. They bring a first-aid kit, someone trained to use it, and a phone to call a doctor.
A ship at sea is like that trip, except it can last months. Rules make sure the crew are looked after, and inspectors check.
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2/6The big idea
The seafarers’ bill of rights
The Maritime Labour Convention covers how seafarers live and work: contracts, wages, rest, food, cabins, safety and medical care. Larger ships on international voyages are inspected on 16 areas and certified for up to five years.
Medical care is one of those areas. Every ship needs a medicine chest, medical equipment and a medical guide, a trained person on board, and medical advice by radio or satellite, any time, free.
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3/6Words you'll meet
Six words, in plain English
- MLC (Maritime Labour Convention)
- the international agreement setting minimum working and living conditions for seafarers.
- Maritime labour certificate
- the certificate showing a ship has been inspected and meets those conditions.
- DMLC (declaration of maritime labour compliance)
- a document listing the flag’s national rules and how the shipowner meets them.
- Medicine chest
- the ship’s store of medicines, stocked to a list set by the flag state.
- Medical guide
- a book telling the crew how to treat illness and injury when no doctor is aboard.
- Medical first aid and medical care
- two levels of training for the officer who treats sick or injured crew.
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4/6Why it matters
Far from help, the chest is the care
When someone is hurt days from port, the medicine chest, the guide and the trained officer are all the medical care there is.
Crew welfare and medical care are a common source of findings in port inspections. Out-of-date medicines, items missing from the flag’s list, or no record of a yearly check are simple to fix before an inspector arrives.
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5/6In this lesson
What you’ll be able to do
- Follow how the certificate is inspected, checked and renewed.
- Know what an inspector looks for in the medical locker.
- Tell when a ship needs a doctor and when a trained officer is enough.
- Know which rule changes apply now and which come later.
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6/6Quick check
A crew member falls ill far from port. How can the ship get a doctor’s advice?
Right: every ship must be able to get medical advice by radio or satellite, 24 hours a day, free of charge.
The basics
Seafarers’ working and living conditions are a major source of port State control findings. In the Paris MoU region in 2025, health protection, medical care, welfare and social security under Title 4 of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) made up 10.0% of all deficiencies, named alongside fire safety (16.8%) and structural and electrical items (11.6%) as recurring areas of concern in a summary of the Paris MoU annual report. In the Tokyo MOU region the same category produced 5,133 deficiencies in a single year.
The medicine chest is where many of those findings start. Expired drugs, missing items from the national list, no record that anyone has checked it in the last year, nobody on board with the right medical training. These are simple to put right before an inspector arrives, and they matter: when a seafarer is injured three days from port, the chest, the guide and the trained officer are all the medical care there is.
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In the rest of this lesson
- Try it: MLC walk-round with the flag inspector
- In plain words
- In detail
- What the rules say
- Flag and class notes
- Key numbers
- What inspectors find
- 4 questions people ask
- Quiz: 6 questions
- Ask our engineers about this lesson
Familiarisation training from Al Safwan Academy. Finishing a course shows completion of online familiarisation training: it is not an STCW, flag-approved or manufacturer qualification, and these courses don't replace that training. The manufacturer's manual and your flag's rules always come first.