The IMO/ILO/WHO International Medical Guide for Ships is the current standard international medical book for seafarers. It has been produced by the World Health Organization (WHO) since 1967 and is currently in its third edition (released 2007).

In 2015, several non-governmental organisations and some governments approached ICS with concerns that the current book was too academic and difficult to use. They preferred some of the national medical guides, but felt a new international guide was needed. ICS lobbied the ILO/IMO to change the approach of the book, but at the time WHO did not want to move away from the academic style that it had adopted.

As such, ICS has simultaneously launched in print and digital eBook format a new, comprehensive, and practical International Medical Guide for Seafarers and Fishers that covers all medical situations and provides modern medical support for the industry. The member discount flyer with a brief summary of the guide is attached at Annex A for ease of sharing, along with a more detailed brochure (Annex B) and a slide for use in presentations (Annex C).

About the book

When a seafarer or fisher becomes sick or is injured at sea, it is up to one of their fellow crew members to provide medical relief until professional medical services can be reached. This person will have had limited medical training on shore, as required under the STCW Convention, but is not a fully trained doctor. When confronted with a medical emergency far from land, the person responsible for medical care relies on telemedical assistance services (TMAS), the medicines and equipment available in the on-board medicine chest, and the on-board medical guide for support.

This modern and practical medical guide from ICS has been written and reviewed by an international group of maritime medical practitioners and experts with many years' experiences of working with and training seafarers and fishers. It can be used on board all ships and fishing vessels, anywhere in the world, and in onshore safety departments, medical assistance centres and training institutions who support seafarers and fishers.

The International Medical Guide for Seafarers and Fishers is:

1. International and applicable globally

• Terminology and medical guidance are recognised and applicable globally


• Medicines and equipment are available globally, right now


• Reviewed and approved by international organisations representing shipowners, seafarer unions and maritime health professionals


• Latest medical knowledge from maritime medical practitioners from every continent available in one guide

2. Comprehensive and up to date

• Guidance on all injuries, illnesses and health issues experienced on ships and fishing vessels


• Brand new chapters not available in existing international guides, including a chapter on assessing and treating mental health


• Action cards address emergency situations and can be carried in the medical bag for quick access


• Updated Ship’s Medicine Chest includes medicines and equipment that are easy to source anywhere in the world, right now

3. Practical and user-friendly

• Easy-to-use format for a non-medical professional to navigate and apply in a medical situation


• 3D visual aids, tables, charts, and assessment forms to help crew follow procedures correctly and find the most important information quickly


• Print and digital eBook formats available to give shipping companies flexibility and confidence that a guide will always be available in a way 

                   that suits crews and voyages

• Comprehensive index includes symptoms to help readers find what they need quickly

Featuring a foreword from Kitack Lim, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and written in collaboration with the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and International Maritime Health Association (IMHA).

 The £225 RRP includes:

• The International Medical Guide for Seafarers and Fishers, 608pp, full colour, A4 half-Canadian. Includes 10 A5 laminated action cards,

             full colour; and

• The Ship’s Medicine Chest to accompany the International Medical Guide for Seafarers and Fishers, 60pp, full colour, A4 paperback.

Find out more and take a look inside the book on the ICS Publications website.

Flag state support

ICS is working with several national member associations and flag state administrations to promote adoption of the guide. Members whose national administration do not have an approved national medical guide are encouraged to support adoption of this new international medical guide. Please contact me for further details.

Carriage of a medical guide on board is mandatory under the International Labour Organization’s Maritime Labour Convention (ILO MLC) and the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) Convention. The fishing industry requires proper medical care to be provided on board under the ILO Work in Fishing Convention, and medical training for those providing first aid care under the IMO STW-F 1995 Convention.

Member discount   

Members – and their member shipping companies – are entitled to a 20% discount on the recommended retail price of £225 using the discount code ICSMEMBER at checkout. 

The discount applies to the print and digital eBook formats, which are both released on 28 March 2023. Print copies can be ordered direct from the ICS Publications website (https://publications.ics-shipping.org) and eBooks can be ordered through Witherbys, Weilbach or Navtor (https://publications.ics-shipping.org/ebooks.php).  

Two flyers are attached at Annex A & B providing further information.   

Promotional films and press release

The press release is available to view on the ICS website: https://www.ics-shipping.org/press-release/ics-publishes-new-landmark-practical-medical-guide-which-can-deliver-a-remarkable-difference-in-seafarers-and-fishers-lives-on-board-vessels/.

ICS has also produced a suite of films that provide an engaging introduction and summary of the new medical guide and highlight why this important publication should be used widely in the industry. They can be easily shared on social media, websites, and newsletters. Details of how to share the videos have been sent to the Communications Leads in the Media Toolkit, and the videos can be viewed on the ICS Vimeo site: https://vimeo.com/intchamberofshipping. 

For any queries on this new publication please contact: 

• Emily Yates, Head of Publications (emily.yates@ics-shipping.org) or 


• Nandi Jhugroo, Publications and Marketing Executive

(nandi.jhugroo@ics-shipping.org).