FRANCE

  last update: 20.10.2014
 

To our knowledge, general guidelines/instructions have been issued by the French Ministry of Health and passed on to all Harbor Masters in France.

The general instruction appears to be that any vessel arriving from any port in West and Central Africa are now compelled to submit 48 hours prior arrival via their Agent a MARITIME DECLARATION OF HEALTH form (MDH – copy & official translation enclosed), along with the usual port documents, to be duly processed by the Port Authorities before they can obtain clearance to berth.

Among the various questions asked in this MDH, vessel will be asked to :

- Declare if she called in an area listed as "infected" by WHO
- List all ports called within the last 30 days,
- Advise if there were any suspect illness/death among the crew / passengers during the last voyage
- Advise if there are still any ill crew/passenger onboard
- Advise if there are any stowaways onboard and, if so, where they presumably boarded,

Meanwhile, Harbor Masters around France have also issued their own recommendations/instructions to local Agents in addition, and, while most requirements are the same around the country (following the a.m. ministerial circular), some slight changes may be noted from port to port.


Last, in case any red flag is raised in the MDH, the Harbor Master must then report to the local Prefecture, and the case is immediately transferred to the ARS (Regional Health Authority) who will handle the quarantine of the ship and disembarking/hospitalization of the sick patient in coordination with the Ministry of Health and other relevant authorities (coast guards, navy, police, …).







Bayonne Dunkirk Nantes - Saint Nazaire
Bordeaux La Rochelle Nice
Boulogne Le Havre Port-La-Nouvelle
Brest Marseilles Rouen
Calais Montoir-de-Bretagne Sète



Ports of Dunkirk, Calais & Boulogne - back to top
As per the latest information relayed by our colleagues at FRANCE P&I Dunkirk, vessels are asked to disclose their last 10 ports called via the Agent for the Harbor Master to review.

If one of these ports was in an infected country (Sierra Leone, Guinea Conakry, Liberia, Nigeria, DRC), the agent is instructed to simply remit an Advice To Traveler notice to the Master of the concerned vessel. This notice bears the basic recommendations in case of suspicion of an Ebola case onboard (what symptoms to look for and who to contact).


Ports of Le Havre & Rouen - back to top
According information confirmed by local Agents, the completed MDH is required 48 hours in advance from any inbound vessel having called in West Africa in the past 30 days, prior to berthing authorization.

To our understanding, a formal confirmation that there are no known Ebola cases reported onboard is being asked from Masters of ships having actually called in Ebola-infected countries, by the Harbor Master. Also, for same vessels, waste will have to be landed and incinerated via a specialized local waste collector (special procedure to be established).


Port of Brest - back to top
As per the latest information relayed by our colleagues at FRANCE P&I Brest, the completed MDH is required 48 hours in advance from any inbound vessel having called in West Africa in the past 30 days, prior to berthing authorization.

In return, Agents have been instructed to hand in the advised to remit the a.m. Advice To Traveler notice to the Master of the concerned vessel.


Ports of Nantes, Montoir & Saint Nazaire - back to top
As per the latest information relayed by local Agents and confirmed by the Port Headquarter, the completed MDH is required 48 hours in advance from any inbound vessel having called in West Africa in the past 30 days, prior to berthing authorization.

Local agent also indicated that they have received guidelines regarding crew changes: list of crew change having taken place in Africa must be provided, including details of crew members having signed off & flown from West Africa.


Port of Bordeaux - back to top
As per the latest information confirmed by local Agents, the completed MDH is required 48 hours in advance from any inbound vessel having called in West Africa in the past 30 days, prior to berthing authorization.

Meanwhile, unofficial advice has been given locally that shore personnel attending onboard should be reduced to minimum necessary.


Port of La Rochelle - back to top
As per the latest information confirmed by local Agents, the completed MDH is required 48 hours in advance from any inbound vessel having called in West Africa in the past 30 days, prior to berthing authorization.

No other specific restrictions imposed.


Port of Bayonne - back to top
As per the latest information confirmed by Port Headquarter, the completed MDH is required 48 hours in advance from any inbound vessel having called in West Africa in the past 30 days, prior to berthing authorization.

Furthermore, waste of ships having actually called in Ebola-infected countries will have to be landed and incinerated via a specialized local waste collector.


Port of Marseilles - back to top
As per the latest information confirmed by Port Headquarter, the completed MDH is required 48 hours in advance from any inbound vessel having called in West Africa in the past 30 days, prior to berthing authorization.

No other specific restrictions imposed.


Port of Nice - back to top
As per the latest information confirmed by Port Headquarter, the completed MDH is required 48 hours in advance from any inbound vessel having called in West Africa in the past 30 days, prior to berthing authorization.

No other specific restrictions imposed.


Port of Sète - back to top
As per the latest information available from Port Headquarter, the completed MDH is required 48 hours in advance from any inbound vessel having called in West Africa in the past 30 days, prior to berthing authorization.

For vessel having indeed called in an Ebola-infected country, Harbor Master may discretionarily order a follow-up sanitary inspections onboard based on the information provided in the MDH.


Port of Port-La-Nouvelle - back to top
As per the latest information available from Port Headquarter, the completed MDH is required 48 hours in advance from any inbound vessel having called in West Africa in the past 30 days, prior to berthing authorization.

For vessel having indeed called in an Ebola-infected country, Harbor Master may discretionarily order a follow-up sanitary inspections onboard based on the information provided in the MDH.

Furthermore, for ships having actually called in Ebola-infected countries and which would not bear an incinerator onboard, waste will have to be landed and incinerated via a specialized local waste collector.







A measure of systematic temperature screening of all passengers has been implemented since Saturday 19.10.2014 in Paris CDG airport for the daily AIR FRANCE flight from Conakry (Guinea).

However, to date, this measure only applies to this particular flight. It does not concern other airlines and does not take into account passengers who might have transitted elsewhere on their way from an infected country.






  • MARITIME DECLARATION OF HEALTH (original + English translation)