Conformity Guidelines
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The International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA) is publishing an ongoing series of Global Conformity Guidelines for construction standards. ‘The guidelines are a part of a project called Standards Harmonisation Initiative,’ says Udo Kleinitz, ICOMIA’s technical manager. ‘Even though it’s a long way until we achieve the final goal to make one set of globally applicable standards available, we are making good progress to make exporting to the US and the EU easier. This already covers about 70-80% of the global boat market.’ The purpose of the guidelines is to assist boatbuilders who comply with either the ABYC or the ISO standards system, but are looking to start exporting to countries using the opposite system. The additional requirements are listed in two annexes. ABYC standards are partially derived from USCG rules, but also provide the set of specifications needed for NMMA certification. They are predominantly used in the US and often written to accommodate boat types popular in the US. The ISO approach is universal. Standards have to be standalone and applicable to all types of boats. So far, ICOMIA has published guidelines covering fuel systems and fixed fuel tanks, LPG systems and appliances, electrical, windows, portlights and hatches and powering. The American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC), British Marine Federation (BMF), National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), International Marine Certification Institute (IMCI) and ICOMIA partnered up to produce these guidelines to facilitate transatlantic trade. Differences with other national standards will also be addressed in due course. Next guidelines will be published on ventilation systems and portable fuel systems and compare equipment leakage circuit interrupters (ELCI) to residual current devices (RCD). The guidelines are available from the ICOMIA Online Library. For access to the documents, please contact your national boatbuilding associations or ICOMIA on info@icomia.com |
