Norway: medical examination on ships and offshore units

The Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA) has issued a document amending the regulations for the medical examination of employees on Norwegian ships and mobile offshore units.

The purpose of these regulations is to ensure that anyone working on a Norwegian ship or mobile offshore unit is medically fit for duty, without suffering from medical conditions that could worsen at sea or jeopardize the safety of others on board.

These regulations were amended on November 10, 2017, by Regulations No. 1778 (effective from November 16, 2017) and December 20, 2017, by Regulations No. 2379 (effective from January 1, 2018).

These regulations apply to individuals working on Norwegian ships or mobile offshore units, except for those who work onboard only while the vessel is in port or conduct inspections onboard.

Furthermore, the regulations do not apply to individuals who are 18 years old and above and work on the following vessels at sea for continuous periods of no more than three days:

a) Fishing vessels of up to 15 meters in overall length or less than 100 gross tonnage when the vessel is less than 24 meters in length (L).
b) Fishing vessels of less than 24 meters in length (L) certified for Bank fishing I or lesser trade areas.
c) Cargo ships of less than 15 meters in length (L) engaged in domestic voyages.

However, the regulations do apply to seafarer's doctors.

The amendment by Regulation No. 1778 (effective from November 16, 2017) is also applicable in this case.

This document was published on 2 June 2023.

For more information, please see the document below (available only to subscribers):