CATEGORY
Commercial Fishing Vessels
Medical and safety rules for US commercial fishing vessels: 46 CFR Part 28, dockside exams, drills, cold water survival and fatality data.
About this category
Written for the operator, cited to the rule
What this category covers
The medical realities of commercial fishing and workboat operations: what a small crew carries, who they call, and how operators keep a season staffed.
Why this vertical is different
Most maritime medical content is written for cruise and merchant fleets. Fishing vessels have smaller crews, longer isolation and their own rule set, including 46 CFR 28.210 for the medicine chest. Discovery Health MD was founded in Seattle around exactly this work.
What medical equipment and guides must a ship carry?
Under MLC 2006 Standard A4.1(4)(a), every ship must carry a medicine chest, medical equipment and a medical guide, inspected at regular intervals and at least once every 12 months. Contents are set by the flag state using the WHO International Medical Guide for Ships. Vessels holding controlled substances also need a DEA-registered medical officer under 21 CFR 1301.25.
Sources: MLC 2006 Standard A4.1 and Guideline B4.1.1 (ILO), WHO International Medical Guide for Ships 3rd edition and its Quantification Addendum, 21 CFR 1301.25 (eCFR).
Start here
The guide operators open first
MOST READ · GUIDE
21 CFR 1301.25 explained, for the people who have to comply with it
The whole rule, paragraph by paragraph: who it applies to, the three medical officer conditions, and both annual reports.
- August 5, 2026
All guide articles
Everything in Guide
Common questions
Answers operators and search engines look for
Reading about compliance is not the same as being compliant
Tell us your vessels, flags and routes. A physician reviews your controlled substances, medicine chest and regulatory picture and shows you the gaps.
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