Seafarer medicals in Johannesburg.
Cruise liners, merchant vessels
and yacht crew.
SAMSA-accredited seafarer medical assessments in Roodepoort, Johannesburg. Approved provider for a number of cruise liners. Conducting pre-employment and periodic assessments for cruise crew, merchant fleet and yacht crew, completed on your employer's own forms.
Everything the certificate needs,
in a single appointment.
A seafarer assessment is not a general check-up. It works to a defined set of requirements covering the conditions of life at sea, from watchkeeping and lookout duties through to emergency response and living in a confined environment for months at a time.
How the day runs.
- Before you arrive. Your booking confirmation carries your consent form and health questionnaire. Completing them in advance is the single biggest saving on the day.
- Registration and history. Identity check, paperwork, and a review of your medical history, medication and previous certificates.
- Investigations. Vision, hearing and lung function here, bloods drawn here, chest x-ray in the same building. No travelling between sites.
- Examination. The clinical examination itself, worked against the standard your employer requires.
- Certificate. Results are reviewed as they arrive. Your certificate is typically issued within 3 to 5 working days where nothing further is needed.
Cruise liner fitness assessments
WorkFit is an approved provider for a number of cruise lines. Cruise operators rarely accept a generic maritime certificate: each runs its own pre-employment protocol, its own forms, and its own list of investigations, and those requirements change between fleets and between roles on the same ship.
Your assessment is completed against the specific paperwork your employer or manning agent requires. We hold the current forms for the cruise lines we work with and update them as new versions are released. Your booking confirmation email carries a link to complete your employer-specific health questions online. Doing that before your visit takes some of the pressure off you on the day.
The doctor conducting your assessment spent six years as a senior ship's doctor with a major cruise line before moving ashore, so the standards being applied are ones he has worked to at sea as well as in the consulting room.
Merchant fleet and SAMSA certificates
Pre-employment and renewal medicals for the South African Maritime Safety Authority certificate, assessed against SAMSA requirements and the international ILO/IMO and STCW/MLC 2006 standards that sit behind them.
This is the certificate most merchant crew, officers and ratings need in order to join or return to a vessel. Two years is the maximum period it can be issued for, and a shorter validity may apply where the guidelines or your employer's policy require it. The expiry date is printed on the certificate.
Yacht crew
Private and charter yacht crew need the same maritime fitness certification as any other seafarer, and the same SAMSA assessment applies. Deck, engineering and interior crew are assessed against the requirements for their role on board, as well as for fitness to perform lookout duties, which may be expected of catering crew on yachts.
The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) seafarer medical is recognised by the UK MCA as an ENG1 equivalent, and South Africa is one of the countries whose certificates the MCA accepts for service on UK-flagged vessels. Both assessments are built on the same international STCW and MLC standards.
Before you book.
When do I get my certificate?
It depends which assessment you are booked for. A SAMSA assessment does not routinely require bloods or a chest x-ray, so where nothing needs following up the certificate is usually issued on the day.
A cruise line pre-employment assessment is different. It includes a blood panel and a chest x-ray, and those results take time to come back, so allow 3 to 5 working days.
Either way, all of your testing is done in one visit. Tell us your joining date when you book.
My employer has its own medical forms. Can you use them?
Yes. We hold the current forms for the cruise lines we work with and update them as new versions are released. You complete your forms online when you book, so there is nothing to bring.
It is still worth checking the version we send you against anything your recruitment agency has given you. If theirs is newer, send it through and we will use it. Contact us if you have any questions or concerns.
What must I bring?
Your passport, your seaman's book, your current or most recent medical certificate, your spectacles or contact lenses if you wear them, and a list of your medication and doses. The full list is on the preparing for your medical page.
How long is a seafarer certificate valid?
Two years is the longest a seafarer medical certificate can be issued for. You may be given one valid for a shorter period, either because the guidelines require it or because your employer's policy does, based on the findings of your assessment. The expiry date is printed on the certificate.
I have a medical condition. Does that fail me?
Not automatically. Each case is assessed on its own merits against the ILO/IMO guidelines, and as a baseline a condition needs to be stable and well controlled to serve at sea. Please do not stop your medication before your appointment, and bring it with you along with any recent reports from your doctor.
Pick a time that suits you.
Booking takes about a minute. Choose your assessment, pick a slot, and we email your forms and a list of what to bring. Your fee is confirmed before you commit.