Textbook of Maritime Medicine

The international nature of the shipping industry and the shipping trade makes supranational regulation a necessity.

The goal of reaching international consensus and establish international treaties is incorporated in the policy of many of the stake-holders of maritime safety and the health and welfare of seafarers.

The most important bodies for the development and maintenance of international conventions, standards, guidance and directives that addresses topics relevant for the maritime physician are the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO). On a supranational level, although not with the same impact, is the European Maritime Safety Agency.

Strict national regulations will not be dealt with in this chapter.

The process of adoption, ratification and entry into force of multilateral treaties like international conventions, is often a slow one, as illustrated by a list of IMO conventions in Table 5.1. A minimum number of member states, representing a minimum amount of the world’s total gross tonnage are usually necessary for a convention entering into force.  

Table 5.2.1  - Status of conventions according to IMO's register at 30th June 2009

5.2.1 International Cooperation between ILO,WHO and IMO

The cooperation between ILO,WHO and IMO after 1945 has been fundamental to the development of viable conventions and regulations.

The"ILO/WHO Committee on Health of Seafarers" which was established in 1948 was the first step in aprocess leading to recommendations in the following years on medicalexamination, medical chest, accomodation, food and water supplies, hosptal treatment, rehabilitation, social welfare, control of veneral diseases, to mention some of the important medical contributionthis cooperation has brought us. The first editionof the International Medical Guied for Ships (IMGS) was prepared by this committee and discussed in all three organisations and eventually published in 1967. In 1982 the Medical First Aid Guide (MFAG) was published as a result of a similar process.

These achievements would probably not have been reached, at least not at that time, without this cooperation.

Although they have different responsibilities, they often act together, something that has a great impact on the outcome.