The Port Health team are responsible for ensuring that infectious diseases are managed on passenger vessels, ferries, cruise ships and marinas.
Masters of ships arriving into the Port of Plymouth must complete and submit a Maritime Declaration of Health before arriving in Port. This must be completed even in the absence of suspected or confirmed cases of infectious diseases or death on board the vessel.
Complete and email the Maritime Declaration of Health, to porthealth@plymouth.gov.uk. With subject line “Maritime Declaration of Health”. If cases of infectious disease / death are being reported please precede the subject line with “Urgent”.
The Maritime Declaration of Health should be sent to the authority via email NOT more than 12 hours before arriving in port (outer port limit) and NOT less than 4 hours before arrival in port.
If suspected or confirmed cases of infectious disease are being reported please also contact us by phone and ask to speak to a Port Health Officer.
Contact us during office hours
Between Monday and Friday 9am - 5pm telephone 01752 398501 and ask to speak to a Port Health Officer.
Outside of office hours
Call 01752 668000 and wait for all of the messaging to finish. Tell the duty officer you are leaving a message for Port Health, providing a contact number, the name of the vessel and a brief description of the issue.
When arriving from a foreign port, a Master of a ship is required to report to the Port Health Authority any suspected infectious disease or death on board amongst crew, passengers or any animals or birds. This report should be made not less than 4 hours and not more than 12 hours before arrival.
a). The occurrence on board ship before arrival of
- the death of a person otherwise than as a result of an accident, or
- illness where the person who is ill has or had a temperature of 38¼C or greater which was accompanied by a rash, glandular swelling or jaundice, or where such temperature persisted for more than 48 hours, or
- illness where the person has or had diarrhoea severe enough to interfere with work or normal activities;
b). The presence on board of a person who is suffering from an infectious disease or who has symptoms which may indicate the presence of an infectious disease;
c). Any other circumstances on board which are likely to cause the spread of infectious disease; and
d). the presence of animals or captive birds, and the occurrence of mortality or sickness amongst such animals or birds.
'Pratique' is a permission granted by the port medical authorities to a vessel, on its arrival from a foreign port, for her crew to go ashore and visitors to come onboard. If a ship is not given ‘free pratique', either because of serious infectious diseases being onboard or because the vessel has arrived from an infected zone, it is likely to have quarantine restrictions imposed on her.
Contact us during office hours
Between Monday and Friday 9am - 5pm telephone 01752 398501 and ask to speak to a Port Health Officer.
Outside of office hours
Call 01752 668000 and wait for all of the messaging to finish. Tell the duty officer you are leaving a message for Port Health, providing a contact number, the name of the vessel and a brief description of the issue.
For any further queries during Office hours telephone 01752 398501 to request to speak to an Officer about Port Health.