Merchant Shipping Act,1958
Act No : 44
Section :
Qualifications for, and medical examination of, seamen.
98. Qualifications for, and medical examination of, seamen. (1) The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, direct that, with effect from such date as may be specified in the notification, seamen generally or any category of seamen in particular shall not be engaged or carried to sea to work in any capacity in any ship or in any class of ships so specified, unless each one of them possesses the prescribed qualifications. (2) Except as otherwise provided under the rules made under sub- section (3), no person shall engage or carry to sea any seaman to work in any capacity in any ship or in any class of ships specified in this behalf by the Central Government, unless the seaman is in possession of a certificate in the prescribed form granted by the prescribed authority to the effect that he is physically fit to be employed in that capacity. (3) The Central Government may make rules for the purpose of giving effect to the provisions of this section; and, in particular, and, without prejudice to the generality of such power, any rules so made may provide for-- 451 (a) the courses of training to be pursued, the vocational standards to be attained or the tests to be passed by seamen generally or by any class of seamen in particular; (b) the standard of physical fitness required of seamen, different standards being laid down, if necessary, for different classes of seamen having regard to the age of the seamen to be examined or the nature of the duties to be performed by them; (c) the nature of the medical examination of seamen, the authorities by which the examination shall be conducted, and the fees payable therefor; (d) the form and contents of medical certificates and the period of their validity; (e) the re-examination by such medical authority as may be specified of persons who have been refused medical certificates of physical fitness in the first instance and the fees payable for such re-examination; (f) the circumstances in which, or the conditions subject to which, any seaman or class of seamen, or any ship or class of ships, may be exempted from the operation of sub-section (2).
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