Issue Ship Sanitation certificates

Horten municipality is authorised by the Norwegian Directorate of Health as «Port Health Authority» to carry out hygiene inspections and to issue Ship Sanitation certificates for ships sailing in international waters, cf. The International Health Regulations (IHR regulations) § 21. 

We issue three types of certificate:

  • Ship Sanitation Control Excemption Certificate (SSCEC – valid for 6 months)
  • Ship Sanitation Control Certificate (SSCC – valid or 6 months)
  • Extension of excisting SSCEC or SSCC (Extension Certificate – valid for 30 days). Can be issued in exceptional cases only.

We appreciate your request for inspection by e-mail: postmottak@hortenhavn.no, which must contain the following information:

  • Name of the ship, flag state, IMO no. and contact information
  • Contact information to agent when an agent orders the service
  • Where the ship arrives from as well as the desired time and place of inspection
  • Copy of last issued ship sanitation certificate
  • PO/reference and invoice/billing address

Form can be downloaded here.

Contact information (08:00-15:30, Mon-Fri): +47 33 08 64 00

About the certificate

The purpose of hygiene certificates is to help prevent the spread of events that may affect international public health. This includes, among other things, control of hygiene procedures in galleys, for handling and storage of food, for potable water, for hospitals, in swimming pools and sanitary rooms as well as waste management procedures. For details, see checklist in WHO’s Handbook for Inspection of Ships and Issuance of Ship Sanitation Certificates.

The Norwegian Directorate of Health has the overall administrative responsibility for hygiene certificates for ships in Norwegian ports and define Norwegian certification fees. For more information on the International Health Regulations, approved ports and current fees, see The Norwegian Direcorate of Health's web site about Ship Sanitation Certificates.