ML5 Seafarer & Fisherman Medicals in Glasgow

• the Master of a passenger ship that does not go to sea (Class IV or V)
• the Master of a commercial vessel that does not go to sea
• the Master or a crew member of a small commercial vessel certificated for Area Category 2 to 6 (no more than 60 miles from a safe haven)
• a crew member or anyone else (for example catering staff) who normally works on a domestic passenger ship (Class VI or VIA) that goes to sea
• Master or Crew of a fishing vessel over 10m but under 24m operating not more than 200 miles from the UK coast or beyond the Continental shelf, and that are not at sea for more than 72 hours.

Boatmasters working as a Master on a seagoing passenger ship require an ENG1 medical with an MCA Approved Doctor.

An ENG 1 is always an acceptable alternative to an ML5 certificate but not vice versa.

This is recommended to ensure you meet the fitness and eyesight standards. For instance, colour deficient vision will mean you are not fit to undertake lookout duties. Send your completed ML5 application directly to the MCA Medical Admin Team with a letter explaining you have not yet
started training.

Only doctors fully registered and licensed to work in the UK are permitted to complete this form.
If you are based abroad and no UK GMC registered medical practitioner is available, you are advised to obtain an ENG1 certificate (or recognised equivalent).

- Original photo ID - preferably passport, driving licence, discharge book or National Citizen ID card.
- Medical summary from your NHS GP
- Your glasses and if you wear contact lenses, take a case and solution to
remove them.
- A list of any medication you are on.
- Complete page 1 of the ML5 form but do not sign the declaration until you are with the doctor who will complete the rest. 

If all questions are answered ‘No’ on the form and no further information is flagged, the doctor can complete the ML5 Medical Certificate and give it to you at the time of the appointment. This certificate confirms you are medically fit to hold a BML, RYA commercial endorsement or to work on vessels listed on this form.
If any questions are answered ‘Yes’, or any medical conditions are noted in Section 12, your report needs to be referred on to an MCA ML5 Medical Assessor (even if the examining doctor is an ENG1 Approved Doctor). The ML5 Medical Assessors are doctors experienced in Maritime Medicine and familiar with the differences between ML5 and ENG1 medical systems. They will make a decision based on the your fitness to undertake your role and the Medical Standards in MSN 1886 (M+F).
The ML5 referral does not involve a face to face appointment although you may be contacted by email or telephone if required. In order to start the referral process the applicant should complete section 15 of the ML5 Medical Report (MSF 4112), and send the entire ML5 Medical Report to:
RYA Commercial Endorsement: to the RYA along with your commercial endorsement application.
Fishing: to the MCA Medical Admin Team, Spring Place, 105 Commercial Road, Southampton, SO15 1EG
BML and all other applicants as per page 1: your local MCA Marine Office or RSS in Cardiff depending on who is dealing with your application.
Any ML5 medical that is required by a local authority, such as for a Boatman’s License, should be referred to the requesting authority not MCA.
You can provide further information regarding your fitness if you wish, this may include medical evidence from your GP, a specialist consultant or optometrist as appropriate. Medical evidence can be submitted with the ML5 form in an envelope marked “Private and Confidential” for
forwarding to the MCA ML5 medical assessor.
Once the ML5 has been referred to the ML5 medical assessor, they have 10 working days to determine whether or not they can issue an ML5 medical certificate based on the evidence provided. If not, they may request additional information.
The possible outcomes following a ML5 Referral to an ML5 medical assessor are:
Fit: The certificate has no restrictions placed on it, but may be limited in validity either due to the applicant’s age or if there is a clinical need.
Fit with Restriction: An ML5 Certificate is issued and the assessor has decided that it is necessary to place restrictions on the applicant’s area of operation or duties. It may also be limited in validity either due to the applicant’s age or if there is a clinical need.
Unfit: If after considering all the information available to them, it is clear to the ML5 assessor that the applicant does not meet the medical standards they will be made unfit, and no ML5 certificate will be issued. A letter will be issued to the applicant explaining the outcome.
The ML5 medical assessor will sometimes issue a compliance letter to the applicant to accompany their medical certificate. This is to emphasize that the certificate is issued on the basis of the applicant’s current medical status, including any treatment or monitoring to which they are subject under their GP or consultant. Any change to that treatment may require a review of their medical certification.
There is no charge for a referral. In order to ensure that the referral is dealt with promptly, it is important to ensure that the medical assessor is provided with all available supporting information they may need to make their decision when the form is submitted.