BG Verkehr / Dienststelle Schiffssicherheit
Prüf- und Zertifizierungsstelle
Brandstwiete 1
20457 Hamburg
Phone: +49 40 361 37-0
Fax: +49 40 361 37-204
Mail: MED@BG-Verkehr.de
Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie
Referat S 3
Bernhard-Nocht-Straße 78
20359 Hamburg
Karin Andersen
Phone: +49 40 3190 - 7315
Fax: +49 40 3190 - 5000
Mail: NavCom@bsh.de
Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie
Referat S 15
Bernhard-Nocht-Straße 78
20359 Hamburg
Katrin Ewert
Phone: +49 40 31 90 74 10
Fax: +49 40 31 90 5000
Mail: ballastwasser@bsh.de
Approval · Approved ship's equipment
- International Instruments
- EU requirements and EU approval (MED)
- Information regarding Brexit
- EU-certified marine equipment (MED)
- Mutual Recognition Agreement between the EU and the USA
- Ballast water management systems
International instruments
The International Maritime Organisation IMO defines in its international instruments, inter alia, the kind and scope of equipment required on board of sea-going ships. The SOLAS Convention (International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea) provides an international minimum standard for the safety on merchant ships, whereas the most important requirements for the equipment of fishing vessels of 24 m length and more are contained in the Torremolinos International Convention.
These international instruments prescribe which equipment has to be installed or carried on board of the various types of ships. Find out more about international requirements regarding ship equipment here.
EU requirements and EU approval (MED)
To implement international requirements, the EU regulates the approval procedure of ship's equipment with the Marine Equipment Directive (MED) and its current implementing regulation. Therefore, the MED applies to ships under German flag as well. A list of equipment that requires approval with the applicable performance and testing standards is published in the current implementing regulation to the MED.
This marine equipment is subject to an EU conformity assessment procedure and requires an EU approval by a notified body. With an EU approval, the manufacturer may attach a symbolized wheelmark as conformity identification, the number of the notified body and the year of the marking on the equipment item. The manufacturer must mark the equipment so that it may be distributed throughout the EU (Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland) as well as installed and used on board without another national approval.
Ship's equipment that is not required to be approved in accordance with the MED requires a national approval by the flag state. Here you can find information on national approval of navigation, radio and COLREG equipment by the BSH.
Information regarding Brexit
The United Kingdom leaving the EU affects both already approved equipment as well as new approvals. Find out more about the Brexit and how it affects ship equipment as well as about the Withdrawal Agreement between the EU and the UK. The Notice by the European Commission regarding this Withdrawal Agreement explicitly applies to MED ship's equipment as well according to its appendix.
EU-certified marine equipment (MED)
An overview of the approved ship's equipment throughout the EU can be found in the MED Database of EU Commission.
After a registration free of charge, you can find information on, inter alia:
- manufacturer, product information, approval information and notified body, and
- the complete text of the directive with all amendments.
Current MED approvals of PuZ SEE
The PuZ SEE (Prüf- und Zertifizierungsstelle (NB0736) of the Ship Safety Division) of BG Verkehr is currently switching internally to the new MED Database of EMSA (European Maritime Safety Agency). As a result, these certificates cannot be published in the MED Database at the moment.
Until the end of the transition, you will find a list with information on EC type approvals of the PuZ SEE (as of April 2024) for download:
Mutual Recognition Agreement between the EU and the USA
Since 2004 a Mutual Recognition Agreement – MRA exists between the EU and the USA as regards testing and approvals according to Marine Equipment Directive. A list in the appendix to the MRA shows all equipment covered by this agreement.
Ballast water management systems
The approval of ballast water management systems is based on the Ballast Water Management Convention (BWMC); in Germany the BSH is the responsible authority. In June 2008 the BSH granted the very first type approval worldwide for a ballast water management system using active substances, after a comprehensive testing and approval process.
Find out more about ballast water management systems and their approval as well as all BSH-approved ballast water management systems.