Type Approvals for the Maritime Industry: EU RO Mutual Recognition Type Approval
SIKA has offered temperature sensors and on-board digital displays for maritime applications for many years. This includes a range of aftermarket products for the maintenance, repair and retrofitting of marine diesel engines and their peripheral devices. We also offer many customised OEM solutions.
To operate these products and to prove that they meet the high requirements of the maritime and offshore sector, type approval from the various classification societies is required. Depending on the flag under which the vessel sails, a type approval from the relevant national classification society may be required as well.
To obtain type approval, the product must pass a comprehensive type test. This includes, among other things, elaborate vibration, climate and EMC tests. The requirements vary according to the classification society. What’s more, type approvals from other classification societies are usually not recognised. It is therefore not uncommon for a product to require approval from several classification societies.
Given the costs for approval, external test labs and audits, this results in considerable financial and time expenditures for us and our customers.
What is the EU RO Mutual Recognition Group?
The EU RO Mutual Recognition Group currently consists of 11 marine classification societies which are registered as EU-recognised organisations (EU RO). The members of this group collaborate on the implementation of EU Regulation 391/2009 Article 10.1.
This EU regulation requires classification societies to harmonise their rules and procedures and unify their application. This includes the technical and procedural conditions under which they mutually recognise requirements based on equivalent standards.
The aim is to harmonise and simplify the authorisation procedure for maritime and offshore products in the EU.
The current members of the EU RO MR Group are:
- American Bureau of Shipping (ABS)
- Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore SAS (BV)
- China Classification Society (CCS)
- Croatian Register of Shipping (CRS)
- DNV (DNV)
- Indian Register of Shipping (IRS)
- Korean Register (KR)
- Lloyd's Register Group Ltd. (LR)
- Nippon Kaiji Kyokai General Incorporated Foundation (NK or ClassNK)
- Polski Rejestr Statkow S.A. (PRS)
- RINA Services S.p.A. (RINA)
What are the advantages of an EU RO Mutual Recognition Type Approval certificate?
An MR Type Approval certificate is granted to products which have been tested by one of the classification societies mentioned above in accordance with the specifications defined by the EU RO Group. This certificate is recognised by the other classification societies. The advantage is that multiple certifications are not required, which significantly reduces expenses for type approval.
Where is the EU RO Mutual Recognition Type Approval certificate valid?
It should be noted that recognition can only be guaranteed for vessels flying the flag of an EU Member State. In the case of foreign vessels, recognition of the certificates remains at the discretion of the respective non-EU state in the exercise of their exclusive sovereignty, in particular under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Do you need a temperature sensor or on-board display with maritime approval?
SIKA already has an extensive range of temperature sensors and digital on-board displays with type approval from the various classification societies. More and more products also have an EU RO type approval certificate with corresponding type approval, such as our marine temperature sensors and our marine digital thermometers.
If you require a customised solution with marine type approval, we will be happy to advise you on the implementation. Let us put our expertise in temperature measurement technology and type testing to work for you.
