1.What is the aim of the SHIPSAN TRAINET project?
2.What are the objectives of the SHIPSAN TRAINET project?
3.What is the working environment?
4.The SHIPSAN TRAINET partnership
5.What is the SHIPSAN TRAINET’s expected outcome?
6.What is the added value for SHIPSAN TRAINET?
7.What are the benefits from SHIPSAN TRAINET?
8.What are the strategic aims for the next five years?
1.What is the aim of the SHIPSAN TRAINET project?
The overall aim of the project is to create a common European strategy and training network on ship sanitation inspections, outbreak investigations, surveillance and control of communicable diseases on board cruise ships and ferries. Moreover, the project intends to facilitate the practical implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) in order to enhance the common EU policy on the prevention of communicable diseases related to cruise ships and ferries.
2.What are the objectives of the SHIPSAN TRAINET project?
The general objectives of the project are:
1. To promote and establish an integrated European ship sanitation strategy, based on the results and needs identified during the SHIPSAN project and on the requirements of the IHR (2005).
2. To strengthen existing public health structures aiming to safeguard the public health and prevent the spread of communicable diseases among passengers and crew members on cruise ships and ferries.
3. To develop a European training network regarding ship sanitation and control of communicable diseases on board cruise ships and ferries.
4. To produce an integrated training programme among EU Member States regarding ship sanitation, outbreak management, surveillance and control of communicable diseases related to cruise ships and ferries.
5. To provide training on the implementation of the IHR (2005) on issues related to cruise ships and ferries.
3.What is the working environment?
4.The SHIPSAN TRAINET partnership
Associated partners
| 1 | University of Thessaly, Department of Medicine | Larissa / Greece |
| 2 | National School of Public Health (NSPH) | Athens / Greece |
| 3 | HSE - Health Protection Surveillance Centre | Dublin / Ireland |
| 4 | Health Protection Agency | London / UK |
| 5 | Institute of Public Health | Ljubljana / Slovenia |
| 6 | Centro Nacional de Epidemiologia | Madrid / Spain |
| 7 | Health Protection Inspectorate | Tallinn / Estonia |
| 8 | Klaipeda Public Health Centre | Klaipeda / Lithuania |
| 9 | University Medical Centre Hamburg - Eppendorf | Hamburg / Germany |
| 10 | CMT Prooptiki Ltd | Athens / Greece |
| 11 | Technological Institute of Athens, Aigaleo | Athens / Greece |
| 12 | Medical University of Gdansk | Gdynia, Poland |
| 13 | Ministry of Health, Section of Communicable Diseases Surveillance | Sofia, Bulgaria |
| 14 | National Board of Health and Welfare | Stockholm, Sweden |
Collaborative partners
Seventeen collaborating partners were included in the partnership at the start of the project. Sixteen additional institutions were added in the list of collaborators during the project implementation. A total of 7 cruise ship and 6 ferry companies collaborated with SHIPSAN TRAINET. Throughout the project duration, collaborating partners were the following:
| 1 |
European Cruise Council (ECC) |
| 2 |
World Health Organization (WHO), Lyon Office |
| 3 |
International Maritime Organization (IMO) |
| 4 |
European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) |
| 5 |
Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Vessel Sanitation Program(VSP), Atlanta/ USA |
| 6 |
Hellenic Centre for Infectious Diseases Control, Greece |
| 7 |
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health /Transport and Logistics, Finland |
| 8 |
Association of Port Health Authorities, Southampton Port Health Authority, UK |
| 9 |
Paris Memorandum of Understanding |
| 10 |
Hellenic Association of passenger ships, Greece |
| 11 |
Passenger Shipping Association, UK |
| 12 |
Latvian State Public Health Agency, Riga branch, Latvia |
| 13 |
Ministry of Health, Medical and Public Health Services, Cyprus |
| 14 |
Ministry of Health and Social Solidarity, Greece |
| 15 |
Ministry of Health, France |
| 16 |
Ministry of Health, Portugal |
| 17 |
Ministry of Health, Spain |
| 18 |
National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, the Netherlands |
| 19 |
Ministry of Public Health, Belgium |
| 20 |
Ministry of Health - Department of Preventive Hygiene, Italy |
| 21 |
Acciona – Transmediterranea |
| 22 |
AIDA Cruises |
| 23 |
ANEK Ferries |
| 24 |
Carnival Cruise Lines |
| 25 |
Color Lines |
| 26 |
Costa Crociere |
| 27 |
Hellenic Seaways |
| 28 |
Louis Cruises |
| 29 |
Mediterranean Shipping Company |
The Management Structure
Project Leadership
University of Thessaly, Department of Medicine, Larisa, Greece
Scientific Management
National School of Public Health, Athens, Greece
5.What is the SHIPSAN TRAINET’s expected outcome?
Communicable diseases surveillance on board passenger ships will be developed to provide an improved outbreak identification system for action. Early identification of outbreaks by competent authorities will help to better manage and prevent the spread of diseases and identify the source of the infection. Moreover, surveillance onboard passenger ships will help to prevent the introduction and spread of diseases to and throughout the EU.
Through the development of the SHIPSAN Manual, sanitation standards and guidelines can be achieved. The Sanitation Standards will be based on EU directives and legislation. Passenger ship operators will be asked to comply with the sanitation standards. All actions should be developed to create interoperability within the EU system, respecting the national laws and structures.
Environmental health inspections will be conducted according to the Manual by port health officers. This will help to: a) increase the level of compliance with the sanitation standards in passenger ships sailing within the EU waters, b) increase the level of sanitation standards onboard passenger ships, and c) the provision of safer and better quality water and food, and d) better sanitation conditions onboard passenger ships.
Training material will be developed both for health professionals and seafarers. The e-learning methodology will be exploited. Moreover, a training network of competent professionals will be established and a pool of trainers will be created. The training network and modules will improve public health knowledge of port health professionals and will assist the passenger shipping industry to deal with public health threats more effectively.
In addition, the pilot communication network among the port health authorities will be used to promote this outbreak control system. This will help to share public health information and to respond in a coordinated manner with regards to ship-related health threats within EU.
The overall expected outcome of the project is to reduce the morbidity and mortality rates onboard passenger ships.
6.What is the added value for SHIPSAN TRAINET?
• Develop active standardized surveillance of communicable diseases on passenger ships across the EU
• Sharing of information among port health authorities
• Communication among port health authorities
• Comparability of data across the EU
• Standardization and coordination of hygiene inspections
• Avoiding overlapping and duplication of inspections
• Cooperation with the shipping industry to deal with communicable diseases on passenger ships when they occur
• Supporting and advicing the shipping industry to apply European legislation on passenger ships
7.What are the benefits from SHIPSAN TRAINET?
8.What are the strategic aims for the next five years?
• Work to secure political commitment and support
• Implementation of a plan for improved communications with stakeholders’ and the general public
• Involvement of the best qualified experts for different core activities
• Development of trust based relations with collaborators and stakeholders
• Establishment of a reference centre for providing training, advice and guidance
• Contribution to scientific knowledge of public health on passenger ships
• Provision of a “State of the Art” programme suggesting a holistic approach to the public health problem
• Development of the means for long-term funding