The Public Health (Ships) Regulations 1979

Examination, etc., of persons on ships

9.—(1) The medical officer may, and if so requested by the master or required by the Secretary of State shall, examine any person on board a ship on arrival or already in the district, when there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that—

(a) the person is suffering from an infectious disease;

(b) the person has been exposed to infection from an infectious disease;

(c) the person is verminous.

(2) An authorised officer may—

(a) detain any such person for such examination either upon the ship or at some place on shore appointed for the purpose;

(b) require the clothing and other articles belonging to any person so examined to be disinfected and, where necessary, disinsected, and any person found to be verminous to be disinsected;

(c) except as provided in regulation 31, prohibit any person so examined from leaving the ship, or permit him to leave it on such conditions and subject to the taking of such measures, under these regulations, as the authorised officer considers reasonably necessary for preventing the spread of infection; and

(d) require the master to take or assist in taking such steps as in the opinion of the authorised officer are reasonably necessary for preventing the spread of infection, for disinsection and the destruction of vermin, and for the removal of conditions on the ship likely to convey infection, including conditions the existence of which might facilitate the harbouring of insects or vermin.

(3) On the arrival of any ship which during its voyage has been in a foreign port other than an excepted port the authorised officer, or at any port where their employment for this purpose is sanctioned by the Commissioners of Customs and Excise, a customs officer, may, and if so required by the Secretary of State shall, require any person on board or disembarking from the ship to produce a valid International Vaccination Certificate.

(4) A customs officer or other authorised officer may detain until the arrival of the medical officer or for three hours, whichever is the shorter period, any such person who has been required to produce such a certificate and is unable to do so.

(5) Where any such person fails to satisfy the medical officer, that he possesses such a certificate, the medical officer may detain him for examination at a place appointed for that purpose, and may apply in his case the additional measures mentioned in part II of schedule 4 and in paragraphs (1) and (2) of part IV of schedule 4.

(6) The powers conferred by paragraphs (3), (4) and (5) of this regulation shall not be exercised in respect of any person on board a ship arriving from an excepted port unless the Secretary of State has directed, or the medical officer is satisfied and has so informed the customs officer, that the exercise of this power is necessary on account of danger to public health.

(7) The medical officer or customs officer shall immediately notify the health authority of any directions given to him by the Secretary of State under this regulation.

(8) Nothing in this regulation shall be deemed to authorise the use of a ship for the isolation of a person who is suffering from, or had been exposed to infection from, an infectious disease unless such isolation can be effected without delaying or unduly interfering with the movements of the ship.