Locate your nearest PEME Clinic
A primary purpose of our enhanced Pre-Employment Medical Examination (PEME) is to protect the long-term health and well-being of seafarers through the early detection of potential medical conditions, ensuring that they are fit for duty on vessels that may operate far from immediate medical support and to help to ensure that they return home safely to their families.
As one of the Club’s key loss prevention initiatives in support of crew welfare and reducing the potential for unnecessary claims, Steamship Mutual maintains an enhanced and rigorous Pre-Employment Medical Examination (PEME) scheme.
Recognising that most seafarers are bound by regulation to undergo some form of PEME, the Club’s claims experience suggests that the quality and scope of such examinations can vary. It is not uncommon for serious illnesses to manifest themselves within days of a crew member having joined a vessel, resulting in often costly claims for the Member and associated anxiety and uncertainty for the seafarer and their family.
Investigations have identified that, in many cases, the seafarer was not medically fit at the start of their employment, suggesting that any pre-employment examinations undertaken may have been deficient or not sufficiently robust.
First introduced in 2009 for crewmembers recruited in the Philippines, the Club’s enhanced PEME scheme has over the years expanded to cover a number of additional key crew recruitment regions. Using only accredited clinics, the scheme seeks to ensure that seafarers undergo a comprehensive and standardised examination, tailored and structured across three age bands to take account of the differing health challenges a seafarer may face as they get older.
Key Objectives
- Ensure crew health and fitness, improving safety and reducing health risks onboard.
- Early identification of potential medical conditions to support prompt and effective medical treatment.
- Prolong the working life of seafarers.
- Enhanced examination quality through standardised protocols.
- Mitigate financial risks arising from undiagnosed conditions.
Key Benefits
- Comprehensive, age-appropriate screening across three age groups.
- Consistent, high-quality assessments from Steamship accredited clinics.
- Early detection of conditions, reducing the potential of serious health issues at sea.
- Reduce the likelihood of costly medical repatriations and claims.
What happens next?
When arranging an examination at an accredited clinic, Members to specify that the PEME should be conducted under the Steamship Mutual enhanced PEME Scheme and to provide the Member’s name.
For more detailed information, please refer to the full PEME Circular
To Search for a PEME Clinic:
Option 1: Use the 'PEME Search' above.
Enter the name or part name of a clinic into the “PEME” search field.
Enter a location (town, state or country) to search for Clinics in that area. A combination of company and location will streamline the search results.
Option 2: Use our new interactive map
Zoom in and out to find preferred clinic.
Click on pin for clinic details to appear.
If you have any queries about the PEME Scheme, please contact our PEME clinic coordinator
Medical Examination Records
The scheme is based upon enhanced examinations designed to screen for conditions likely to be encountered for personnel in three age bands – under 30, 31 to 45, and 46 and over. These examination standards have been compiled with the assistance of independent UK based consultants – Medical Rescue International (MRI).
The Medical Examination Records for the three age bands can be downloaded below:
FAQs
No, it is not mandatory, however, we strongly recommend using one of the Club’s accredited clinics and the enhanced PEME pro-forma to provide additional assurance as to the level of fitness of the seafarer. At a minimum, the medical examination must comply with applicable industry and regulatory standards.
If no Steamship-accredited clinic is available, Members may use another provider, provided the PEME meets industry and regulatory standards. Completed PEMEs can be referred to our UK medical consultants (MRI) for verification. Please also consult the Club if you require a Steamship-accredited clinic in your region and suggest potential candidate clinics for accreditation.
The decision regarding final employment lies with the Member. Whilst the Club do not mandate that a seafarer holds a PEME conducted strictly in accordance with the Steamship PEME Protocol we would strongly recommend using one of the Club’s accredited clinics and the enhanced PEME pro-forma to provide additional assurance as to the level of fitness of the seafarer. At a minimum, the medical examination must comply with applicable industry and regulatory standards.
Yes, under the Steamship PEME Protocol, a PEME certificate may be issued for up to two years, depending on the age of the seafarer and the absence of any medical concerns.
The enhanced PEME supports early identification of medical conditions, assessing crew health and fitness to reduce health risks onboard. It provides age-appropriate screening through standardised protocols and is delivered by trusted, Steamship-accredited clinics. This approach helps mitigate medical and financial risks, including the likelihood of costly repatriations. For full details, please refer to our PEME Circular.
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