Maritime Medical Compliance and Port Health
Working guides, not opinion pieces
Each guide isolates one obligation, names the rule behind it, and shows what an operator must produce on request.
These are working guides, not opinion pieces. Each one takes a single obligation, names the regulation behind it, and walks through what an operator has to produce when an inspector asks.
Every regulatory claim links to a primary source: the eCFR for US rules, the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 for international standards, and the WHO International Medical Guide for Ships for chest contents. Where no citable figure exists, we say so instead of publishing one.
What medical equipment and guides must a ship carry?
The guide operators open first
21 CFR 1301.25 explained, for the people who have to comply with it
- August 5, 2026
Answers operators and search engines look for
The medical guide required by MLC 2006 Standard A4.1(4)(a), with contents determined by the flag state taking account of the latest edition of the WHO International Medical Guide for Ships. Vessels carrying dangerous goods read it alongside the Medical First Aid Guide (MFAG). We build and audit the chest to that standard under MedChest.
At regular intervals, and at least once every 12 months under MLC 2006 guidance and most flag-state rules. The inspection checks contents, quantities and expiry, and should be documented so it can be produced on request. See MedChest for how we document it.
A medical officer who is a state-licensed physician, employed by the owner or operator, and DEA-registered, per 21 CFR 1301.25(b). All three conditions must be true at once. Read the full explainer or see Controlled Substances.
STCW Regulation I/9 caps validity at two years, or one year for a mariner under 18. The examination follows 46 CFR Part 10, subpart C.
Reading about compliance is not the same as being compliant
- ✓ Physician-led review, not a sales call
- ✓ Every flag state and voyage type
- ✓ One team for all three services
- ✓ We reply within one business day
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