Ship Sanitation Control Exemption Certificate/Ship Sanitation Control Certificate are issued by the Authority to identify and record all areas of ship-borne public health risks, together with any required control measures to be applied. The certificates are valid for a six month period and can be renewed at any port authorised to issue renewals. The full list of authorised ports can be viewed on the WHO website, view the list of authorised ports.
Prior to arrival at the designated Port, it is essential that the Authority is presented with relevant documentation to assist with the completion of the Ships Sanitation Inspection. The documents that should be presented to this Authority include:
- ISPS (International Ship Port Security Notification)
- Port Waste Notification
- A copy of the previous Ships Sanitation Certificate
- Maritime Declaration of Health (if applicable)
- The last set of microbiological water results.
- Medical log
- Garbage log
- Food safety management system (temperature records, cleaning schedules)
- Ballast log
This information should be uploaded with the ship sanitation request or emailed to porthealth@plymouth.gov.uk
Once an agreed time and date have been confirmed an officer will attend and carry out a Ships Sanitation Inspection, during the visit it will be expected that various areas of the vessel will be inspected, these may include:
- Galley
- Crew Accommodation
- The Bridge
- Deck Areas
- Waste Storage
The charging regime for Ships Sanitation Certificates is based upon the gross tonnage of the vessel.
Current Charges are listed on our Port Health Charges page.
Extra charges may be added for costs such as launch hire (at the discretion of the port operator/harbour master), out-of-hours duties and extended or re-inspections of ships due to 'control measures'.
Ship Sanitation Certificates (SSC) are valid for a maximum of six months. This period may be extended by one month if the inspection or control measures required cannot be accomplished at the port. An extension allows a ship to reach a port at which the inspection and necessary control measures can be performed, without the necessity to travel with an expired certificate.
An extension may be granted up to 30 days before the expiry date of the existing SSC. However the SSC cannot be extended for longer than 30 days after the expiry date of the certificate.
We can take water samples for bacteriological testing including analysis for E.coli, coliforms, Aerobic Colony Counts or Legionella on request. These are currently limited to visits on Monday to Thursday. A laboratory report will be provided along with the certificate.
A charge is made for this service. Please refer to our fees and charges on the Port Health charges page
Please request water samples at the time of your ship sanitation request.
Please enquire about availability by calling 01752 398501 or email porthealth@plymouth.gov.uk with a subject line: “Ship Sanitation Request”. If officers are available, the visit can also be booked online using the button below.
Maritime Declaration of Health
If any crew are showing signs or symptoms of infectious disease such as Coronavirus (COVID-19) this must be notified to the inspecting officer prior to boarding.
Plymouth Port Health Authority has been authorised to issue ship sanitation control and exemption certificates.