Introduction:
To improve the quality and consistency of ship inspections, the “European manual for hygiene standards and communicable diseases surveillance on passenger ships” (Manual)¹ was developed through the EU SHIPSAN and EU SHIPSAN TRAINET projects^{2, 3}. The Manual comprises 10 chapters, 523 items (including 138 legal requirements) and guidelines for diseases prevention and control. Between 2011 and 2014, pilot inspections tested the Manual's standards during EU SHIPSAN TRAINET and EU SHIPSAN ACT joint action (ja)^{3, 4}. It was translated into 5 languages and used for conducting routine inspections since 2015 in 56 ports in 17 countries. EU SHIPSAN Association was tasked by Healthy Gateways JA to undertake the second revision to incorporate changes in legislation and lessons learned from COVID-19 into routine operations⁵.

Methods:
Working groups were formulated and a workshop was organised. Terms of reference outlining tasks, responsibilities, and timelines were prepared. Revision of the legal acts referenced was conducted using the EURO-lex database. Feedback from the passenger industry and public health authorities, along with research from the Healthy Sailing Horizon project, will be incorporated⁶. Additionally, standards from WHO, CDC VSP manual and other programmes operating worldwide will be reviewed for alignment where feasible⁷.

Results:
Five working groups were established, comprising members from MS and industry representatives. A total of 40 stakeholders (29 from 14 countries and SHIPSAN members, 11 from industry) participated in the workshop. From 2015 until 2024, 126 comments were collected including rephrasing and grammatical suggestions. The review identified 10 new, 25 amended (from Part A 46 referenced), and 12 repealed legal acts.

Conclusions:
The revised Manual will include evidence-based standards and the latest legislative and scientific developments. The improved version should be adapted by all MS for inspections of passenger ships. A legal base should be developed at a European level for the implementation of the hygiene inspections against the Manual standards.