EU/USA Mutual recognition agreement on marine equipment

A Mutual recognition agreement on marine equipment between the European Union and the United States entered into force on 1 July 2004. Under the terms of the agreement, certain marine equipment that has been type-approved in the United States may be sold in the EC and vice versa. The products are listed in an annex to Council Decision 2004/425/EC.

Products type approved in the United States for sale in the EC must be marked according to Article 11 of Council Directive 96/98/EC, i.e., with the “conformity mark” as above, along with the “USCG EC number” of the notified body, which is 1408 for the United States. The notified body for type-approval of marine equipment in the United States is the U.S. Coast Guard.

The certificate that must accompany the product must state the product number found in Annex A1 of the Swedish Maritime Administration’s regulations and general guidelines on marine equipment, e.g., “A.1/4.1” for magnetic compasses.

Products covered by this agreement are published on the MarED website (MarEd: The Group of Notified Bodies for the Implementation of the Marine Equipment Directive).