What you need to perform it
Primary qualification
- Medical degree with a specialty or proven profile in emergency medicine, intensive care, anaesthesia or family medicine with emergency practice; current registration and licence recognised by the flag and the cruise line.
- Sector reference: the ACEP (American College of Emergency Physicians) guidelines for cruise ship medical facilities call, as a guide, for ≥ 3 years of postgraduate clinical practice in emergency/acute medicine and current advanced life support.
- Regulatory framework: MLC 2006 Regulation 4.1 and Standard A4.1.4(b): a qualified medical doctor is mandatory on ships carrying 100 or more persons and ordinarily engaged on international voyages of more than three days. The flag State may extend the requirement (verify national legislation).
Basic STCW
- STCW A-VI/1 Basic Safety Training (the doctor is crew) and passenger-ship familiarisation per the muster list.
- Valid seafarer medical certificate (ENG1 or flag equivalent).
Specific courses
- Current ACLS, ATLS and PALS (advanced, trauma and paediatric life support).
- Gastrointestinal outbreak management per USPH/VSP and EU SHIPSAN protocols, including case-threshold notification (as a guide).
- Maritime Declaration of Health and the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) for port entry.
- Telemedicine and MEDEVAC coordination with tele-medical assistance services (TMAS, e.g. CIRM Rome or the Spanish radio-medical service — as a guide).
- Ship pharmacy management and controlled-drugs custody per flag and itinerary ports.
Indicative experience
As a guide: ≥ 3 years of postgraduate practice in emergency or acute medicine (ACEP guideline) and at least one prior contract as ship's doctor before the senior post. A large cruise ship hospital: 2-3 doctors, 4-6 nurses, acute and isolation beds, basic laboratory and imaging.
Observations
Typical route: Ship's Doctor → Senior Doctor → shoreside fleet medical direction. There is no STCW CoC for doctors: credentials are validated by the line and the flag. Deviations and MEDEVAC are decided with the master — clinical judgement prevails even at enormous operational cost, and that independence is part of the job. GI outbreak surveillance has notification thresholds (VSP/port authority — as a guide) and late reporting has regulatory consequences for the ship. On cruise ships the population on board equals a small town: the medicine is emergency and stabilisation care, not tertiary hospital care.
What this role does
Unlike a cargo ship, a cruise vessel carries a population comparable to a small town. That demands organised emergency medicine, basic imaging and outbreak isolation capability.
Typical watches
- Continuous clinical coverage with medical watch rotations
Key responsibilities
- Lead the ship's medical centre and manage emergencies, outbreaks and critical incidents.
- Coordinate telemedicine, stabilisation and pre-MEDEVAC procedures, and advise the master on medical deviations.
- Lead the ship's epidemiological surveillance and health reporting to port authorities.
- Keep the ship's pharmacy, including controlled drugs, with auditable records.
Operational scope
- Onboard hospital, isolation areas and ship medical response
Profile reviewed by HydroAbyss (2026). Cited rules and timeframes are indicative: the final requirement is set by the flag State, the Administration and each company.