Marine equipment carried on board ships must comply with certain safety requirements as regards design, construction and performance, and testing standards.
The European Union has harmonised these requirements through Directive 2014/90/EU, known as the “Marine Equipment Directive”. This directive was given effect in Ireland by the European Union (Marine Equipment) Regulations 2017 (S.I. No. 177 of 2017).
Each year, the European Commission adopts an Implementing Regulation to update the current list of items of marine equipment which have become subject to harmonised EU requirements pursuant to the Marine Equipment Directive.
The latest Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1975 contains the current list of such items in its Annex. It also provides for transitional periods during which a new item of marine equipment, which is in conformity with the national requirements before the entry into force of the Implementing Regulation, can continue to be placed on the market and on board an EU ship.
Therefore, to ensure clarity for the end user, S.I. No. 177 of 2017 has been amended by the European Union (Marine Equipment) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 (S.I. No. 580 of 2024) to make reference to the most recently adopted Implementing Regulation.
For further information, please contact the Marine Survey Office at [email protected].
