ENG1 seafarers certificate
If you are employed on a ship as your normal place of work you are required to have a medical examination.
This medical is to prove that you are in good enough health and fitness to carry out your duties, both on a day-to-day basis and in emergencies.
A medical examination will find out if you have a health condition that could result in you needing urgent treatment, or potentially put fellow crew or passengers’ lives at risk.
Do I need an ENG1 certificate?
You need a seafarer medical certificate (ENG1) if you are:
- in charge of a ship, e.g. ship’s captain
- serving on a merchant ship
- a seafarer
- working on a fishing vessel over 24m in length
- working on a fishing vessel less than 24m in length, but are at sea for more than 72 hours or are operating more than 200 miles from the coastline of the UK or beyond the continental shelf
- working on a fishing vessel of any size that is subject to inspection at a foreign port.
Do you need an ML5 certificate instead?
Find out more about seafarers medical certification
Attending your medical
- Please come to your medical wearing comfortable clothes you can move easily in as you may be required to do a step test.
- Please remember to bring photographic ID, your previous ENG1 certificate and your glasses (do not wear contact lenses for your examination).
- Avoid loud noise for 16 hours before your medical as this may affect your hearing test.
- You will be asked to provide a urine sample as part of the medical. This is not a drugs test.
You will need to bring:
- Photo ID (passport, driving licence or Seaman’s Discharge Book).
- GP’s name, surgery address and contact details.
- Details of any medication you’re taking.
- Your glasses or contact lenses if you wear them (though not colour correction lenses). You will need to remove contact lenses during examination.
- Your current ENG1 certificate (or equivalent) if you have one.
- Comfortable footwear and clothes to enable you to undertake exercise test, if needed.
- Urine sample so that your kidney function and blood sugar levels can be tested.
- Measure your height and weight.
- Take your blood pressure.
- Test your eyesight and check for colour blindness.
- Physical examination – you will be asked to undress to your underclothes.
- If you have any previous medical history then the doctor will discuss this with you too.
- Sometimes other tests are needed such as a step test, an ECG or spirometry (breathing test).
At the end of your examination the doctor will issue you with one of the following three certificates:
- Fit without restrictions (unrestricted)
- Fit with restrictions (limiting your work to certain jobs or locations)
- Temporarily or permanently unfit
If you pass, the doctor will usually issue you with your ENG1 certificate that same day.
If you are found to be unfit or your ENG1 is restricted then the doctor will discuss this with you and issue you with a ‘Notice of Failure/Restriction (ENG3)’ form. The ENG 3 will tell you what to do if you want to have an independent medical review.
A ENG1 can be valid for up to 2 years (1 year if you are aged between 16 and 18). If you develop a condition or a disability (mental or physical) which affects your ability to work the certificate would become invalid.
Please see the questions page if you have any more queries about your appointment with North Yorkshire Medicals.
And if your question isn’t covered there, please do not hesitate to contact us.