COMMISSION DIRECTIVE 96/98 CE ON MARINE EQUIPMENT

The Directive was adopted on December 20th, 1996 and was published in the Official Journal of the European Communities on February 17th, 1997.

The Directive aims at implementing the relevant International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Regulations related to marine equipment through a single certification scheme based on design and production conformity assessments to be carried out by authorised third-parties - "Notified Bodies".

The main effects of the Directive are as follows:

(a) The European certification scheme substitutes the former multinational ones: a given type of equipment is to be granted with a single Type-Approval certificate.

(b) the Equipment Manufacturers may choose the Notified Body and the production assessment module among those authorised.

(c) any additional national requirements will not apply.

(d) no other Council Directives will apply for ships (refer to paragraph 10 of the preamble).

The equipment covered by the Directive, are those which are required to be type approved by the Internal Maritime Conventions.

The types of equipment are listed in two Annexes:

(a) Annex A1: equipment for which the regulations, codes and test standards are to be applied.

(b) Annex A2: other equipment for which the specified regulations and test standards are to be developed prior to being listed in Annex A1: the former multinational certification schemes will continue to apply for this equipment.

Conformity Assessment Modules

The conformity assessment of marine equipment is to be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Council decision 93/465/EEC of 22.07.93 "concerning the modules for the various phases of the conformity assessment procedures and the rules for the affixing and use of the CE conformity making, which are intended to be used in the technical harmonised Directives".

Conformity Assessment modules (B + D), (B + E), (B + F) and G are permitted.

List of Equipment

Only the types of equipment listed in Annex A1are eligible for Certification.
The reference to the approval status as per the International Maritime Convention(s) is made in column (3) or annex A1.

The specified Regulations and Test Standards

The specified Regulations and Test Standards are stated in columns (4) and (5) of Annex A1.

The conformity assessment procedures

For a given type of equipment only certain modules or combinations of modules are permitted (stated in column (6) by a cross): the Equipment Manufacturer may choose anyone of these modules among the authorised ones.

INSPEC offers certification against Module D for fire-fighting equipment - Personal Protective Equipment.

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