Free Pratique And Fumigation

Objective :

To know the process of releasing Free Pratique Certificate, Port Health Clearance, Ship

Sanitation Control Certificate (SSCC) and Ship Sanitation Control Exemption Certificate

(SSCEC)

To get the information on the process of fumigation done on the ship for the purpose of

sanitary operation

To get the knowledge on the regulations and laws used to release those certificates as well

as performing the fumigation

Introduction :

Certificate of free pratique is a certificate from the Port Klang health authorities, which is

given to a ship that is without infectious disease or plaque on board. Once the ship has received the

certificate, then it will then be permitted to enter Port Klang and the people inside the ship will be

allowed to board and disembark.

Fumigation in the other hand is the action of releasing a toxic chemical in the gaseous state

to control a targeted pest. In order to do the fumigation, an ideal fumigant needs to be used.

Fumigant is a chemical which, at the required temperature and pressure, exists in the gaseous state

in sufficient concentrations to be lethal to a targeted pest. The fumigant used during fumigation

process at Port Klang is hydrogen cyanide. Hence, the Hydrogen Cyanide Act 1953 is used.

Discussion :

Based on Article 35 and 36 in International Health Regulations (IHR) 1969 :

International Health Regulations (IHR) 1969

CHAPTER IV—HEALTH MEASURES ON ARRIVAL

Article 35

Whenever practicable States shall authorize granting of free pratique by radio to a ship

or an aircraft when on the basis of information received from it prior to its arrival, the

health authority for the intended port or airport of arrival is of the opinion that its arrival

will not result in the introduction or spread of a disease subject to the Regulations.

Health inspections at the berth and port upon the arrival of international ships and vessels

are done as comply with the provisions in IHR. The Article 35 and 36 in IHR has stated that Port Klang

health authorities can carry out the health inspections to the crews of ships and vessels which come

from international voyage. Any addition actions that are necessary to be done to the ships which

come from any endemic country of Yellow Fever or Plague can be carried out by the Port Klang

health authorities. These activities are done in order to prevent the infectious diseases to spread

into Malaysia.

Free Pratique Certificate

Upon the arrival of a ship to Port Klang, the shipping agent or the Master of Vessel must

issue an arrival notice which is the ‘Advice’. Shipping agents are required to submit forms PKP 02 /

PKP 03 to Port Klang Health Office at least 24 hours before the arrival of the vessels to know the

status of the ships. A status either free or quarantine will be given to the ship after full consideration

of information stated in the form. This is the duty of Assistant of Environmental Health Officer

(AEHO) of Port Klang Health Office. Shipping agents are required to fill the following particulars in

the form:

International Health Regulations (IHR) 1969

CHAPTER IV—HEALTH MEASURES ON ARRIVAL

Article 36

1. The health authority for a port, an airport, or a frontier station may subject to

medical examination on arrival any ship, aircraft, train, road vehicle, other means of

transport, or container, as well as any person arriving on an international voyage.

2. The further health measures which may be applied to the ship, aircraft, train,

road vehicle, other means of transport, and container shall be determined by the

conditions which existed on board during the voyage or which exist at the time of

the medical examination, without prejudice, however, to the measures which are

permitted by these Regulations to be applied to the ship, aircraft, train, road vehicle,

other means of transport, and container if it arrives from an infected area.

3. Where a health administration has special problems which could constitute a

grave danger to public health, it may require a person on an international voyage to

i. Last three ports visited within 14 days

ii. Validity of Ship Sanitation Control Certificate (SSCC) / Ship Sanitation Control Exemption

Certificate (SSCEC)

iii. Any passenger or crew sick on board

iv. Any stowaway on board

Below is the definition of free pratique based on International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005.

Free Vessel :

A ship is a Free Vessel if the ship is deems to be healthy. This is true if the terms below are followed :

i) SSCC / SSCEC has not yet expired and still valid

ii) Crews and passengers are all healthy

iii) No death occurs on the ship since the last departure

iv) The last port of departure is not the endemic country of Yellow Fever or Plaque

This ship will then be given the Free Pratique Certificate and will be allowed to disembark. This ship

is a ship of “Status A”. Shipping agent then needs to submit documents below together with the

copy of PKP 02 that already had been approved. The documents are :

i) Maritime Declaration of Health

ii) Original copy SSCC / SSCEC

iii) List of crews

International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005

PART I – DEFINITIONS, PURPOSE AND SCOPE, PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBLE

AUTHORITIES

Article 1 Definitions

“free pratique” means permission for a ship to enter a port, embark or disembark,

discharge or load cargo or stores; permission for an aircraft, after landing, to embark or

disembark, discharge or load cargo or stores; and permission for a ground transport

vehicle, upon arrival, to embark or disembark, discharge or load cargo or stores;

iv) Voyage memo

v) Yellow fever vaccination certificate of crews and passengers if have

AEHO will check and examine all the documents as soon as he receives them from shipping agent.

The examinations of the documents include :

i) Maritime Declaration of Health : The answers must comply with the needs of

International Health Regulations (IHR) which mean, there is no case of Plague, Yellow

Fever, death because of an infectious disease or any unusual death of rats.

ii) SSCC or SSCEC is valid

iii) All the crews and passengers are in a good health and there is no death occur on the

ship

iv) There is no unusual death of rats

v) There is no stowaway on the ship

Examination on the documents must be compared to the notice of arrival (Advice) which is the

PKP 02 form, to ensure that all the documents followed the notification form send by the shipping

agent. AEHO can then release the Port Health Clearance by himself, or he can just propose the idea

to Health Officer if he satisfied with the examination of the documents.

In case if AEHO do not satisfy with the examination of documents he already made, then he

can propose the idea of ship inspection to the Health Officer. The inspection of the ship will then be

done by AEHO, and after satisfy with the condition, Port Health Clearance can then be released. But

if during the ship inspection the AEHO do not yet satisfy, then another ship inspection can be done

again by respective AEHO. After he has satisfied with the second inspection, then Port Health

Clearance will be released.

Quarantine (Q) Vessels :

A ship will be a Quarantine (Q) Vessel if it arrives from an endemic area of Yellow Fever or

Plague or in other condition which might constitute any public health risks. It will be boarded and

inspected by the Health Officer on the arrival at the berth. The Master of Vessel or the shipping

agent must ensure that, without the permission of the port health authority, no person other than a

pilot, a customs officer or immigration officer can board or leave a ship until "Free Pratique" or Port

Health Clearance has been granted. Ship will be taken this action, if the information in the arrival

notice relate with the any of particulars below :

i) SSCC / SSCEC has been expired and not valid

ii) Any crew or passenger in the ship has been sick

iii) There is a death occur on the ship since the last departure

iv) The last port of departure is one of the endemic or epidemic country for Yellow

Fever or Plague

This ship will not be given the Free Pratique Certificate, but will only be given a permit to stay at the

berth. This ship is of “Status B”.

In some cases a ship may be a Quarantine (Q) Vessel which it will be inspected at designated

quarantine anchorage. The ship required to board at the quarantine anchorage have any of the

criteria below :

i) There is a case of infectious disease among the crews or passengers

ii) There has been a case of death caused by infectious disease

iii) Lasts ports of departure are all from the epidemic countries of Yellow Fever or

Plague

iv) There is the unusual death of rats on the ship

This ship is of the “Status C”.

As soon as the ships arrive at the berth or quarantine anchorage, health examinations must

be done. The ship must be inspected first by the health authorities, which is the health personnel

from Port Klang Health Office before other agencies are allowed to check and inspect the ship. The

health examinations to the crews and passengers are done by AEHO. Free Pratique Certificates are

then released and given to the shipping agents.

Free Pratique Certificate and Port Health Clearance will be released to the shipping agent or

Master of Vessel when all the below criteria are followed :

1. All the documents needed are complete and followed the arrival notice (Advice) which is the

PKP 02 form.

2. SSCC / SSCEC is valid and not expired yet

3. All the requirements in Maritime Declaration of Health are complied

4. The inspection of ship is satisfied. No infestation of rats and good ship sanitary.

Any ship which does not comply with any of the criteria will be taken the actions stated in

Prevention and Control of Infectious Disease Act (PCIDA) 1988. Some of the actions will be done

include the fumigation, if there is the infestation of rats on the ship, ship sanitation activities as well

as the prevention and control of infectious disease.

Invalid or expired SSCEC or SSCC can be solved by requesting the renewal of it to the health

authority. Shipping agent need to prepare a letter of request, and send it to Health Officer. Ship

inspection will be then done by using the Rodent Inspection Report for Renewal of SSCEC / SSCC. If

the ship is believe to be already clean, then Free Pratique Certificate and Port Health Clearance will

be given to the shipping agent. The report on Rodent Inspection for Renewal of SSCEC / SSCC is given

to Health officer. SSCEC will be released if Health Officer satisfied with the report prepared. If the

ship is believed by Health Officer not be clean enough, an Order of Ship Sanitation will be given to

the shipping agent so that fumigation will be done on the ship. Finally, SSCC will be given after all the

measures on destroying the infestation of rodents have been taken.

Fumigation

If a ship is believed to be not clean, then the ship will receive a command to clean the ship,

which includes the process of disinfection, disinsecting, deratting, and other sanitary operations. An

Order of Ship Sanitation will be given by Health Officer of Port Klang Health Office to the Master of

Vessel or the shipping agent. Fumigation will be done if the ship has been infested by rodents.

Below is the flow chart for fumigation to take place :

Fumigation is defined as the process of releasing and dispersing a toxic chemical that

reaches a targeted pest in the gaseous state. Assistant of Environmental Health Officer (AEHO) will

receive “D Form” which is the notice of fumigation. AEHO have to check the documents from the

shipping agent which include the name of company that will carry out the fumigation, as well as date

and time of performing the fumigation. It is very important to ensure that the fumigation operators

to be certified with Ministry of Health (MOH) Malaysia. The VE flag will be used at daytime. If

fumigation process is continued until night, then fumigation signal light will be switched on.

Fumigation process will be performed well with the help of an ideal fumigant. Currently, the

fumigant used at Port Klang is hydrogen cyanide. The used of hydrogen cyanide will prevent the

infestation of rodents as well as killing them.

There are four process of fumigation. The process are :

Order of Ship Sanitation will

be given to shipping agent

AEHO receive "D Form"

AEHO inspect ship before

fumigation is done

Fumigation process by the

licensed fumigators

(certified by MOH)

Releasing of "E Form" to the crews of ship

Exposure of gas (hydrogen

cyanide) to the space

AEHO receive a copy of "F

Form" and a "G Forms"

SSCC is released by

Health Officer to the shipping

agent

V + E – Fumigation Flag

(1) Pre-Fumigation

Before fumigation is done, ship must be checked first to ensure that there is no leakage during

the fumigation. All the equipment on the ship must be wrapped with 3 layers of plastic. The

rationale to do so is that, the gas used which is hydrogen cyanide can travel through 2 layers of

plastic. Hence in order to ensure the effectiveness of fumigation process that will be done,

leakage of gas must be avoided. Torchlight as well as spotlight can be used while checking the

ship. Doors have to be ensured that there are no holes at them. Close all stairwells and interior

doors and replace any broken panes. Tightly wedge and lock all exterior doors and windows and

seal or tape the cracks. Check for any cracks on the floor, roof, and around the eaves and seal

them. This process takes about one hour to be done. All compartments will be checked to

prevent the leakage of gas so that adverse effects to the peoples’ health can be avoided. Signage

as well as notices will be put and pastes at certain places to ensure that there will no entrance of

people to the place of fumigation. The notices must be in four languages. As for Malaysia, the

languages include Malay, English, Chinese and Indian language. All crews of the ship will be given

“E Form” which is the notice to leave the place of fumigation before the fumigation is done.

(2) Fumigation Process

The rationale of four languages at the notice pasted is to ensure the understanding of people surround the place which may from different races so

that they will avoid the place of fumigation

During this process, only licensed fumigator will be allowed to be at the place where the

fumigation will be done. AEHO must ensure that the fumigation process is done exactly at the

time stated in “D Form”. Fumigants are broadly toxic and hazardous to use, and thus fumigations

must be done by highly skilled and experienced, licensed fumigators. Fumigators should be

familiar with the general considerations in pesticide use: the laws and regulations governing

pesticide registration and application; safety, environmental effects of pesticides; pest biology

and pest recognition; and labels and labelling. Usually, the fumigators are from the certified

private sector that will be paid to fumigate the respective space. In order to ensure the health

and safety and to prevent injury or loss of life of fumigators if they are likely to be exposed to

gas levels above the allowable limits, they must wear proper personal protective equipment

such as respirator, safety helmet, gloves and protective clothing.

(3) Ventilation / Aeration

Signage will be put on in order to avoid the entrance of crews during fumigation process

Picture above shows an image of fumigator who wears proper personal protective equipment

After 6 to 8 hours, the space that has been fumigated will have to be opened for about 8 to 10

minutes to allow the air circulation into it. This step is important to avoid the gas inside the

confined space cause an explosion if there is no ventilation, as the gas becomes hotter as time

goes by. The space must be then close again and wait until 24 hours for the hydrogen cyanide to

react effectively and to ensure that it will be fully cleared. The reason why the space is open just

for about several minutes is to avoid the gas to be spread out and cause adverse effect to the

surrounding as hydrogen cyanide can cause severe effects to living things. Even though hydrogen

cyanide reacts faster in killing pests such as rats, it also can kill other animals such as birds.

Hence, fumigators must ensure that the opening of space that has been fumigated is just 8 to 10

minutes only, and must not more than that.

(4) Space Opening

The space can be fully opened after 24 hours from the time the space been fumigated. Before

the space is opened to crews and passengers, gas detector or gas detector will be used by the

fumigator to test the concentration of gas inside the space. Assistant of Environmental Health

(AEHO) will then take pictures of the space which had been fumigated, and collect all the rats

killed. The rats also will be then count and destroy. Water from the pipe inside the ship will be

allowed to flow for about 5 to 10 minutes, and any foods as well as beverages found after the

fumigation process will be destroyed. AEHO will be then given the copy of “F Form” which is a

notice of safe to stay released by operator of fumigation to the captain and crews of ship. A “G

Form” which is the report of fumigation by the operator will also be received by AEHO. AEHO

will then show the report to the Health Officer of Port Klang Health Office, and propose the idea

of releasing the Ship Sanitation Control Certificate (SSCC) to the shipping agent. Finally, the SSCC

is released by Health Officer after satisfied with the sanitary operations.

Conclusion :

In a nutshell, the provisions in the International Health Regulations (IHR) 1969 & 2005,

Prevention and Control of Infectious Disease Act (PCIDA) 1988 and Hydrogen Cyanide Act 1953 must

be used and referred, in order to ensure the health and safety at the point of entry. Health

inspections must not be taken for granted and must be emphasized by the Port Klang health

authorities so that there will no transmission of any infectious diseases especially the Yellow Fever

and Plague.

Recommendation :

Before the ship inspection be done on the ship, health authorities should ensure themselves

to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as vest, safety shoes and safety helmet, and bring

along important equipment such as beg, Free Pratique Book, Port Health Clearance Book, Ship

Inspection Form, UV Light and torchlight.

For the fumigation process, only trained and licensed fumigators be allowed to perform the

task. The fumigators should wear proper PPE such as safety boots, safety helmet, safety clothing,

gloves as well as respirator, and should know all the safety measures to avoid any unwanted

accidents.

Related Law :

International Health Regulations (IHR) 1969 & 2005

Prevention and Control of Infectious Disease Act (PCIDA) 1988

Hydrogen Cyanide Act 1953