International Maritime Health Association

What International Maritime Health Association does

International Maritime Health Association (IMHA) is a non-governmental professional association registered in Belgium in 1998 and headquartered in Antwerp, operating continuously since 1997. Its mandate is to improve the physical and mental health of seafarers and, increasingly, fishers, by convening clinicians, hygienists, port health officers, shipping-industry medical staff, academics, and students through membership services, a biennial scientific congress, training workshops, and standards-setting work. It holds consultative status at the United Nations and acts as a primary civil-society channel to the World Health Organization, the International Maritime Organization, the International Labour Organization, the International Transport Workers' Federation, the International Chamber of Shipping, the International Seafarers' Welfare and Assistance Network, and EU sectoral social-dialogue bodies.

IMHA's core product surface consists of the International Symposium on Maritime Health (ISMH, held biennially), the ICS International Medical Guide for Ships and associated Ship's Medicine Chest Program and training materials, the International Maritime Health Journal (academic publication), recurring training workshops (including the TMAS Doctor Training Workshop launched in Esbjerg in November 2024), the IMHA Podcast, the SHIP health-promotion materials developed with ISWAN, and a webshop for publications and branded merchandise. Inputs are predominantly clinical and policy expertise contributed by a multinational Board of Directors and volunteer committees; outputs are guidelines, training, events, publications, and advisory input to international regulators.

The revenue model is that of a member-funded NGO with diversified project and grant income. Public price points are modest — €150 for an individual membership and €475 for a supportive membership — with additional inflows from symposium registration and sponsorship, workshop fees, journal advertising and subscriptions, webshop sales, and grants (including from funders such as the ITF Seafarers Trust). Total annual revenue is not publicly disclosed; given the membership pricing, biennial event cadence, and grant dependency, total inflows are likely in the low single-digit millions of euros. No venture, growth-equity, or commercial funding round is disclosed, and there is no headcount trend data.

Name

International Maritime Health Association

Legal name

International Maritime Health Association

Website

https://imha.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

IMHA is a non-governmental professional association headquartered in Antwerp, Belgium that advances the health of seafarers and fishers through membership services, biennial symposia, medical guidelines, training, and advocacy with international bodies including WHO, IMO, ILO, and ICS.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Maritime Health Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Medical Assistance & Ship-to-Shore Healthcare Coordination (TLAHAJAG)

Keywords

• Maritime health association
• Seafarer medical examinations
• Occupational maritime medicine
• Telemedical maritime assistance
• International health guidelines

Headquarters

HQ city

Antwerp

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Membership Fees: Individual membership is priced at €150 per year, providing ordinary membership with participation rights in the General Assembly, access to members-only content, certificates, and publications.
2. Supportive Membership Fees: Supportive membership is priced at €475 per year and is open to individuals, international organizations, administrative authorities, shipping organizations, professional entities, and private associations. Supportive members do not have voting rights in the General Assembly.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IMHA is a membership-based international non-profit association of medical professionals working in maritime medicine. It sells Individual Memberships (€150/year) and Supportive Memberships (€475/year) that grant access to publications, workshops, position papers, and discounted registration to the biennial International Symposium on Maritime Health (ISMH). It also develops and disseminates maritime medical guidelines, training programmes, and the Seafarers' Health Information Programme (SHIP) in collaboration with IMO, ILO, WHO, ICS, and ISWAN.

Product overview

IMHA operates as a non-governmental organization offering a membership-based platform for maritime health professionals. The core offering includes individual and supportive memberships (€150 and €475 per year respectively) providing access to member-only content, workshops, publications, and the General Assembly. Key products and services include: the ICS International Medical Guide for Seafarers and Fishers (co-edited by IMHA experts), the Ship's Medicine Chest Program, ILO/IMO Guidelines on Medical Examinations, EU Guidelines on Medical Examinations of Fishers, Position Papers, the International Maritime Health Journal, and the biennial International Symposium on Maritime Health (ISMH). Training programs cover medical examination of fishers and TMAS doctors, while workshops address guidelines review, seafarer health promotion, and fishers health. The organization also supports maritime health research initiatives. These offerings are interconnected through IMHA's mission to improve seafarer health through scientific research, guideline harmonization, education, and international collaboration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individual Membership Annual ordinary membership for medical professionals working with seafarers, priced at €150 per year. Grants access to the General Assembly, certificate of membership, by-laws, publications, workshops, symposia, and members-only content.
• Supportive Membership Annual supportive membership priced at €475 per year, open to individuals, international organizations, administrative authorities, shipping organizations, professional entities, and private associations. Provides access to IMHA resources without General Assembly voting rights.
• International Symposium on Maritime Health (ISMH) Biennial 4-day scientific symposium organized by local committees under IMHA Board oversight, serving as the world's leading maritime health and medicine conference. Members receive discounted registration. Upcoming editions: Rotterdam 2025 and Bali 2027.
• TMAS Doctor Training Workshop Workshop reviewing current practice and producing consensus statements of best practice for initial training of doctors in Telemedical Maritime Assistance Services (TMAS). Hosted by Radio Medical Denmark with ITF Seafarers Trust sponsorship.
• Seafarers' Health Information Programme (SHIP) Health information resources designed for seafarers' specific needs and employment situations, providing health messaging and educational materials. The programme is being revised with ISWAN and ITF Seafarers Trust support.
• IMHA Training Programs for Medical Examiners Training programmes for doctors performing medical examination of seafarers and fishers, including programmes developed for the EU Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee on Seagoing Fishers.
• Ship's Medicine Chest Program Programme providing guidance on standardized ship's medicine chest contents, including analysis of TMAS data, quantification of parameters, labelling standards, and best practice management recommendations for ships and fishing vessels.
• IMHA Topic Workshops Topic-focused workshop series producing position papers and reports representing IMHA's official views, covering seafarer health promotion, TMAS doctor training, guidelines review, and fishers health.
• ILO/IMO Guidelines on Medical Examination of Seafarers International guidelines on the medical examination of seafarers serving as the basis for national regulations worldwide, with IMHA contributing to review and development.
• EU Guidelines on Medical Examination of Fishers Guidelines on the medical examination of fishers published by the European Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee on Sea-Fisheries, developed through IMHA project work to harmonize standards for health and fitness checks across Europe and worldwide.
• International Maritime Health Journal International multidisciplinary peer-reviewed scientific journal dedicated to research and practice in maritime medicine, edited by IMHA-associated editor Dr. James Denham.
• IMHA Position Papers and Documents Official position papers on maritime health subjects resulting from workshops or partner interactions, covering topics including medical incidents at sea, COVID vaccination, and oxygen on ships.
• Maritime Health Research Support Research support activities including spontaneous and requested research groups that contribute to the development of maritime medicine and inform regulations and training.

Quantifiable outcome

• ILO Special Tripartite Committee approved new MLC provisions recommending carriage of ICS International Medical Guide for Seafarers and Fishers on board ships (April 2025)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.

• Radio Medical DenmarkminorOthers · 1 November 2024Radio Medical Denmark hosted the IMHA TMAS Doctor Training workshop in Esbjerg in late November 2024. The workshop brought together representatives of TMAS from 8 countries to discuss training of TMAS doctors and produce a consensus statement of best practice.
• ISWAN (International Seafarers Welfare and Assistance Network)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024IMHA and ISWAN organized a joint workshop in Paris (October 2024) on health promotion for seafarers, focusing on developing health messaging that improves seafarer wellbeing and revising the SHIP (Seafarers' Health Information Programme) materials. IMHA's Dr. David Lucas represents IMHA in the project steering committee. ITF Seafarers Trust provides funding support. ISWAN will lead the project while IMHA provides medical expertise.
• International Chamber of Shipping (ICS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023IMHA member Suzanne Stannard edited the ICS International Medical Guide for Seafarers and Fishers, produced by the International Chamber of Shipping. In April 2025, the ILO Special Tripartite Committee approved new MLC provisions recommending carriage of this guide on board ships. IMHA experts supported editing the guide and contributed to its development.
• International Maritime Organization (IMO)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerIMHA participates in joint ILO/IMO meetings on medical guidelines and has worked with IMO since its foundation in 1997. The organization contributes to the review and development of IMO/ILO Guidelines on the Medical Examination of Seafarers and Ships Medicine Chests.
• International Labour Organization (ILO)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerIMHA participates in ILO meetings and the ILO Special Tripartite Committee. The organization contributed to the 2024 Joint ILO-IMO meeting to adopt guidelines for Medical Examination of Fishers. In April 2025, new MLC provisions were approved recommending carriage of the ICS Medical Guide on ships.
• World Health Organization (WHO)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerIMHA cooperates with WHO as part of its objectives to promote and facilitate education and training in maritime health care and support research on an international level.
• International Transport Workers Federation (ITF)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerITF is a key industrial organization that IMHA works closely with. ITF Seafarers Trust has provided sponsorship for IMHA workshops including the TMAS Doctor Training workshop in Esbjerg and the ISWAN-IMHA Health Promotion workshop.
• EU Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee on Sea-FisheriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIMHA developed Guidelines on the medical examination of fishers for this committee, which includes the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF) and Europêche. The guidelines pave the way for harmonisation of standards for health and fitness checks across Europe and worldwide.
• Maritime and Coastguard Agency (UK)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency hosted the IMHA workshop in Southampton in February 2025 to discuss Appendix E of the IMO/ILO Guidelines on the Medical Examination of Seafarers. 17 participants from 11 countries attended.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• World Medical Association (WMA): WMA is the global federation of national medical associations representing physicians worldwide. It is a broader-scale peer to IMHA in terms of being an internationally elected, membership-governed medical professional association that issues ethical and professional guidance — a template that mirrors IMHA at a much larger scale.
• International Maritime Pilots' Association (IMPA): IMPA is the international professional association representing maritime pilots, organized on a similar model to IMHA: international non-profit, country-member federations, elected leadership, consultative engagement with IMO, and a recurring international congress. It is comparable in governance template and maritime-policy interface, even though it covers navigation rather than health.
• International Chamber of Shipping (ICS): ICS is the principal international trade association for merchant shipowners and operators, headquartered in London. It is a direct partnership counterparty of IMHA (IMHA's Suzanne Stannard edited the ICS International Medical Guide for Seafarers and Fishers) and is comparable as the umbrella convener for shipping-industry stakeholders whose work IMHA's guidelines support.

Others

• World Health Organization (WHO): WHO is the United Nations specialized agency for health, with which IMHA cooperates on maritime health education and research. WHO is comparable only at the institutional/mission level rather than structure or scale, functioning as a global health policy convener rather than a peer professional society.
• International Maritime Organization (IMO): IMO is the United Nations specialized agency for maritime safety, security, and environmental regulation. IMO is a flagship institutional partner of IMHA (joint ILO/IMO medical examination guidelines) and is comparable in maritime-policy authority, but functions as a regulator rather than a peer professional association.

Direct peers

• Seafarers UK: Seafarers UK is a UK-registered grant-making charity that funds welfare, health, and safety initiatives for seafarers, fishers, and their families. It is comparable to IMHA as a maritime-focused non-profit funder and convener that frequently partners with organizations like IMHA on health promotion and welfare projects for seafarers.
• Apostleship of the Sea (Stella Maris): Apostleship of the Sea is the Catholic Church's international maritime welfare charity operating port-based chaplaincy and welfare services for seafarers globally. Like IMHA, it is a non-profit, globally active NGO whose mission centres on seafarer wellbeing, often coordinating with the same international partners (ILO, IMO, ITF).
• Société Française de Médecine Maritime (SFMM): SFMM is the French Society of Maritime Medicine and a recognized publisher in the field, including the monograph 'La Santé Mentale des Gens de Mer' on seafarer mental health. It mirrors IMHA's model as a national professional society of maritime medicine clinicians, with overlapping scientific remit and a longstanding relationship via IMHA's research network.
• International Seafarers Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN): ISWAN is a London-based international charity that, like IMHA, is a membership-supported NGO serving the seafarer welfare ecosystem with global reach. The two organizations already run joint programming (e.g., the 2024 Paris health promotion workshop and SHIP revisions), making ISWAN the closest functional peer to IMHA.
• International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH): ICOH is the leading international scientific society in occupational health, with a Maritime Workers' Subcommittee. It is comparable to IMHA as a global, volunteer-governed professional association producing scientific guidance, position papers, and triennial congresses for occupational medicine specialists — including those serving seafarers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/imha-international-maritime-health-association
• Facebookfacebook.com/100068274909136

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Maritime Health Association