Every test required under DG Shipping (DGMA) norms, the Merchant Shipping (Medical Examination) Rules and ILO MLC 2006 — all performed in-house at CBD Belapur.
| Category | Investigations |
|---|---|
| Physical | Height, weight, BMI, blood pressure, complete systemic examination |
| Vision | Distant & near visual acuity, colour perception (Ishihara) |
| Hearing & Lungs | Pure-tone audiometry, spirometry |
| Blood | CBC, blood sugar, LFT, KFT, lipid profile, blood grouping & Rh |
| Infectious screening | HIV I & II, Hepatitis B (HBsAg), Hepatitis C, VDRL |
| Imaging & Cardiac | Digital chest X-ray, resting ECG, ultrasonography whole abdomen |
| Other | Routine urine analysis, drug & alcohol screening, psychological evaluation (incl. optional AI-based 16 PF psychometric test for crew & officers) |
Serving officers and ratings renewing their certificate undergo a focused panel: height/weight/BP, vision and hearing tests, blood glucose, liver enzymes, cholesterol, HIV screening and routine urine analysis — with additional tests where clinically indicated.
A ship is days from the nearest hospital. Each investigation below exists because the condition it detects can turn a voyage into an emergency — for the seafarer, and for everyone who depends on him.
| Test | What It Examines | Significance at Sea |
|---|---|---|
| Ishihara colour vision | Red–green colour perception using pseudoisochromatic plates | Navigation lights, buoyage and ECDIS alarms are colour-coded — a deck officer who cannot distinguish them cannot keep a safe watch. |
| Distance vision (optometry) | Visual acuity at distance and near | Lookout duties, radar-visual correlation and reading instruments depend on corrected and uncorrected acuity meeting STCW minimums. |
| Audiometry | Hearing thresholds across intensity and tone | Alarms, VHF traffic and engine-room anomalies are heard before they are seen; hearing loss silently erodes the ship's first warning system. |
| Spirometry (PFT) | Lung volume and the speed of forced exhalation | Confined-space entry, SCBA firefighting sets and physical emergency duties demand proven respiratory reserve. |
| ECG | The heart's electrical signal at rest | Detects rhythm disorders and silent ischaemia before they become a cardiac event mid-ocean, where defibrillation and evacuation options are limited. |
| TMT (treadmill stress test) | Cardiac performance under controlled exercise stress | Mandatory for seafarers above 65 — proves the heart can sustain the physical load of emergency duties, not just rest. |
| Chest X-ray | Lungs, heart silhouette and bony thorax | Screens for tuberculosis and chronic lung disease — critical in shared accommodation where one infectious case affects an entire crew. |
| Sonography (whole abdomen) | Ultrasound imaging of abdominal organs | Finds gallstones, kidney stones and organ pathology — the classic causes of the surgical emergencies most feared far from port. |
| CBC, LFT, RFT, lipids, HbA1c | Blood counts, liver & kidney function, cholesterol, diabetes control | Establishes that the body's core systems can withstand months of shift work, heat and dietary constraint without decompensating. |
| HIV, HBsAg, HCV, VDRL | Infectious disease screening | Required by MLC-aligned standards; handled under our counselling-first confidentiality protocol. |
| MP & Dengue NS1 | Malaria parasite and dengue antigen | Tropical trading routes make undetected febrile illness a genuine voyage risk — screening protects both the seafarer and the schedule. |
| Drug & alcohol screen | Substances impairing judgement and reaction | A zero-tolerance industry standard: impairment on watch endangers ship, cargo, crew and coastline alike. |
Every result is reviewed personally by our examining doctor before certification — read about the team on our About page, and see how masters manage illness at sea in our guide to the Ship Captain's Medical Guide.
Most seafarers complete all tests in a single visit of 2–3 hours. Fasting samples are best given in the morning — see our preparation tips.
CDC, passport, previous medical certificate (if any), spectacles/lenses if used, and any ongoing prescriptions. Full checklist in our mandatory tests article.
Yes — certificates issued under DG Shipping approval comply with ILO MLC 2006 and STCW. In addition, we hold direct flag state medical approvals for Panama, Liberia, Marshall Islands, Cook Islands, Palau, Vanuatu and Honduras registries, so one visit can cover both Indian and flag state certification. Details on our approval page.
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