Dubai: The Dubai Health Authority inspected a total of 21,064 ships between 2011 and 2015 to prevent the spread of contagious diseases, it said on Sunday.
The inspections were carried out at the emirate’s three main shipping terminals: Rashid Port, Jebel Ali Port and Al Hamriya Port.
Over the last five years, the number of inspections by the authority has increased, officials say.
Back in 2011, 3,898 ships were checked by the health inspectors, while 4,395 ships have so far been inspected this year.
The authority’s services at the ports include enforcing local and international health and safety laws. It also issues pratique, which is a licence for a ship to have dealings with a port.
Permission is granted after the ship shows a clean bill of health or completes a quarantine process.
The authority is also tasked with auditing the documents and certificates of ships, and raises awareness among passengers and crew on safety regulations. It also maintains records of documents of the ships that reach Dubai’s ports.
The head of the authority’s inspection body, Nahed Jaafar Al Yousuf, said that the office aims to maintain the safety and health of ship crew and passengers.
The authority did not say how many ships had been denied entry due to disease on-board during the last five years.
