The Public Health (Ships) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008

PART V RABIES OR VIRAL HAEMORRHAGIC FEVER

Infected ships and suspected ships

1.  The medical officer may—

(a) place any suspected person on board under surveillance, the period of surveillance being reckoned from the date of arrival of the ship;

(b) require the disinfection of the baggage of any infected or suspected person, and of any other article on board and any part of the ship which the medical officer considers to be contaminated.

2.  If there is any rodent on board the authorised officer may require the ship to be deratted in a manner to be determined by him, but without prejudice to the generality of this requirement the following special provisions shall apply to any such deratting:

(a) the deratting shall be carried out as soon as the holds have been emptied or when they contain only ballast or other material, unattractive to rodents, of such a nature or so disposed as to make a thorough inspection of the holds possible;

(b) one or more preliminary derattings of a ship with the cargo in situ, or during its unloading, may be carried out to prevent the escape of infected rodents;

(c) if the complete destruction of rodents cannot be secured because only part of the cargo is due to be unloaded, a ship shall not be prevented from unloading that part, but the authorised officer may apply any measure which he considers necessary to prevent the escape of infected rodents, including detaining the ship;

(d) notwithstanding sub-paragraph (a) a Ship Sanitation Control Exemption Certificate may be issued for an oil tanker with full holds.