Health at sea

A working-seafarer hub for physical and mental health from before sign-on to after sign-off. The brief is short: keep yourself well enough to do the job, know when to escalate, know your rights when something goes wrong, and know who to call when the sea gets heavy in the head as well as on the deck.

Before joining

• Statutory STCW/MLC medical

  What's tested, validity, approved doctors, flag-state variations.

• Pre-employment medical examination (PEME)

  Employer-mandated PEME and how it overlaps with the statutory medical.

• Dental check before joining

  Why dental problems at sea become a sign-off issue — and what to fix ashore.

• Prescription medicine before joining

  Contract-length supply, doctor's letter, customs notes.

• Vaccinations + yellow card

  Yellow fever, hepatitis, typhoid, tetanus, ICVP.

Onboard wellbeing

• Fatigue at sea

  STCW VIII rest hours floor + MEPC.1/Circ.1014 guidance.

• Fatigue + watchkeeping (safety side)

  How rest hours translate to a fitness-for-duty decision.

• Mental health support

  ISWAN, Sailors' Society Wellness, ITF, mission chaplains, and what helps.

• Mental health crisis (help guide)

  Step-by-step crisis response — for yourself or a shipmate.

• Family separation

  Practical strategies, communication routines, when to ask for help.

• Nutrition onboard

  MLC A3.2 catering — what to expect and what to do if it's failing.

• Seasickness

  Acclimatisation, OTC drugs, when to escalate.

Injury + emergency

• Injury at sea (help guide)

  Reporting, medical record, P&I claim, repatriation.

• Right: injury / death compensation

  MLC A4.2 + national supplements.

• Right: medical care onboard

  MLC Regulation 4.1, TMAS, medevac.

• Onboard medical emergency tree

  First-actions decision tree.