Recommendation Date
Recipient Name
Maritime New Zealand
Text
On 27 February 2025, the Commission recommended that Maritime New Zealand implement measures to raise awareness of the standards for the Certificate of Medical Fitness for seafarers and ensure that certificate holders understand their responsibilities to maintain certificate validity and report any impacting changes.
Reply Text
Maritime NZ will consider this recommendation.
Maritime NZ recognises the importance of seafarers being medically fit. We have previously sought to, and continue to ensure that seafarers and their operator employers are aware of the requirement to maintain medical certification under Maritime Rules Part 34. This is communicated through a number of stakeholder channels including publications such as Seachange (see article published in the July 2024 - https://mailchi.mp/mnz/seachange-issue-111-july-2691019).
We also monitor the validity of medical certificates through our audit activity, including checking the expiration dates of both the skipper and crew during our Maritime Operator Safety System audits.
Our work underway to develop an online interface that enables greater, and more efficient, digital interaction between the sector and Maritime NZ will allow us to more clearly communicate requirements (including medical), and seafarers will be enabled to more easily report changes to their medical status.
Maritime NZ recognises the importance of seafarers being medically fit. We have previously sought to, and continue to ensure that seafarers and their operator employers are aware of the requirement to maintain medical certification under Maritime Rules Part 34. This is communicated through a number of stakeholder channels including publications such as Seachange (see article published in the July 2024 - https://mailchi.mp/mnz/seachange-issue-111-july-2691019).
We also monitor the validity of medical certificates through our audit activity, including checking the expiration dates of both the skipper and crew during our Maritime Operator Safety System audits.
Our work underway to develop an online interface that enables greater, and more efficient, digital interaction between the sector and Maritime NZ will allow us to more clearly communicate requirements (including medical), and seafarers will be enabled to more easily report changes to their medical status.
Related Investigation(s)