Marine equipment

The purpose of the proposal for a directive is to enhance safety at sea and prevent maritime pollution by improving the safety of maritime equipment. It seeks to harmonize the application of the relevant international testing standards, the relevant resolutions and circulars of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the relevant international testing standards, such as those defined by international standardization bodies. The provisions of the directive apply to equipment which, under international conventions, must be approved by national authorities and must be carried on board. This equipment can be divided into two categories: - equipment for which detailed testing standards already exist at international level (Annex A.1); - equipment for which there are as yet no such standards (Annex A.2), in which case detailed testing standards need to be established as quickly as possible. The directive authorizes equipment which complies with the requirements of international conventions and conformity evaluation procedures to be placed on board ships without trials or further assessment. Thanks to this authorization, this equipment can move freely within all Member States. The directive also requires bodies notified by national authorities for conformity evaluation work to satisfy common quality criteria before undertaking work on behalf of national authorities. Once the directive has entered into force, equipment approved in one Member State may be sold throughout the Community. Finally, equipment must bear a distinctive mark in order to ensure that it can be easily identified. Member States must recognize all equipment bearing such a mark, which guarantees that the equipment is meets the requirements of the directive and has a high level of safety.�