Marine Equipment Directive (MED) 2014/90/EU

Last reviewed: October 2026 · Sources listed at the end of this page.

Directive 2014/90/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2014 on marine equipment — the "MED" — replaced Directive 96/98/EC and has applied since 18 September 2016. It covers equipment placed or to be placed on board EU ships for which flag State approval is required under the international instruments. The international conventions it names are COLREG, MARPOL and SOLAS (Article 2(3)). The MED is distinctive in that it does not use the CE marking: in-scope equipment bears the "wheel mark", a stylised ship's wheel symbol, together with the Notified Body number and the year. Published as OJ L 257, 28.8.2014, p. 146.

Legal status and timeline

• Adoption: 23 July 2014.
• Date of application: 18 September 2016.
• Repeal of Directive 96/98/EC: 18 September 2016.
• Status in October 2026: applies. The equipment requirements are updated by Commission Implementing Regulations as IMO instruments develop.

Scope: products covered

Under Article 3(1), the Directive applies to equipment placed or to be placed on board an EU ship and for which flag State approval is required by the international instruments, regardless of whether the ship is in the Union when it is fitted with the equipment. An "EU ship" is a ship flying the flag of a Member State and falling within the scope of the international conventions (Article 2(2)). Equipment in scope is subject only to this Directive for that purpose, even if it could also fall under other Union law (Article 3(2)).

The Commission indicates the requirements and testing standards for each item in an implementing act under Article 35(2), revised about once a year. The current act is Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1434 of 30 June 2026, which entered into force on 31 August 2026 and repealed Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1533. The list covers categories such as:

• Life-saving appliances (life jackets, immersion suits, lifeboats and rescue boats);
• Marine pollution prevention equipment (oily-water separators, sewage treatment systems);
• Fire protection equipment (fire detection systems, sprinkler systems, breathing apparatus, fire-resistant structural components);
• Navigation equipment (radars, GPS receivers, magnetic compasses, gyrocompasses, voyage data recorders);
• Radio-communication equipment (VHF/MF/HF radios, EPIRBs, SARTs);
• COLREG equipment (signalling lights, sound signalling devices).

Exclusions

The Directive contains no list of excluded ship types. The test is whether the ship is an EU ship within the conventions and whether the item needs flag State approval. Equipment for ships outside the conventions, or for items no convention requires to be approved, therefore falls outside it. Recreational craft have their own Directive.

Worked example: marine radar

A navigation radar supplied for a SOLAS cargo ship under a Member State's flag is listed equipment. It needs the wheel mark and an assessment on the requirements in the implementing regulation. The Radio Equipment Directive does not apply to equipment within the MED's scope. The same radar sold for a recreational boat is not MED equipment, and would follow the Radio Equipment Directive with a CE marking. Article 9(2) forbids affixing the wheel mark to any other product, so the two supply routes and their markings need to be kept distinct.

Essential requirements

The MED has no essential requirements annex in the usual sense. Equipment placed on board an EU ship must meet the design, construction and performance requirements of the international instruments applicable at the time it is placed on board (Article 4(1)). "International instruments" means the conventions, the IMO resolutions and circulars giving effect to them, and the testing standards (Article 2(5)). Testing standards can come from the IMO, ISO, IEC, CEN, Cenelec, ITU, ETSI, the Commission, and regulators recognised in mutual recognition agreements (Article 2(4)). Compliance is shown solely through those testing standards and the conformity assessment procedures (Article 4(2)), so harmonised standards under Regulation 1025/2012 do not give a presumption of conformity here.

The implementing regulation sets out, item by item, the applicable requirements, the testing standards and the available modules.

Conformity assessment procedures

Annex II sets out the procedures. Article 15(2) requires assessment through a notified body, using one of the options the implementing regulation allows for the item:

• Module B (EU type-examination) +
  • Module D (production QA), Module E (product QA), or Module F (product verification);
• Module G (unit verification), where sets of equipment are produced individually or in small quantities and not in series.

Notified Body involvement is mandatory throughout, and the Commission keeps information on approved equipment (Articles 15(3) and 35(4)). EMSA hosts the MED information pages and links to the database.

The wheel mark

Article 9 and Annex I require the wheel mark on equipment that has passed conformity assessment, and it may not be affixed to any other product (Article 9(2)). It is affixed visibly, legibly, and indelibly to the product or its data plate (and, where relevant, embedded in its software), or, where that is not possible or not warranted due to the nature of the product, to the packaging and accompanying documents (Article 10(1)), at the end of the production phase (Article 10(2)). It is followed by the identification number of the Notified Body, where that body is involved in the production control phase, and by the year in which the mark is affixed (Article 10(3)). The form is set in Annex I.

Technical documentation

Annex II sets the documentation contents for each module. Retention of the technical documentation and EU declaration of conformity: at least 10 years after the wheel mark has been affixed, and in no case less than the expected life of the equipment (Article 12(4)). See technical documentation.

EU Declaration of Conformity

Article 16; the declaration follows the model structure in Annex III to Decision No 768/2008/EC. When equipment is placed on board an EU ship, a copy must be provided to the ship and kept on board until the equipment is removed, translated into the language required by the flag State and at least one language commonly used in maritime transport (Article 16(4)). See EU Declaration of Conformity.

Electronic tag

Article 11 allows an appropriate and reliable electronic tag instead of, or in addition to, the wheel mark for specific items, to help market surveillance and prevent counterfeiting. Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/414 identifies the eligible items, and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/608 sets the technical criteria, including RFID tags and optically readable data matrix tags.

Ships changing flag and exemptions

• Transfer to a Member State flag (Article 7). Equipment on a non-EU ship must comply and bear the wheel mark, or be accepted as equivalent by the receiving administration, which issues a certificate carried with the equipment. Otherwise it must be replaced.
• Technical innovation (Article 30). In exceptional circumstances, the flag State may permit equipment not assessed under the Directive if it is shown to be at least as effective. A certificate stays with the equipment.
• Testing or evaluation (Article 31) and exceptional circumstances (Article 32). These allow limited exemptions, for example where equipment must be replaced in a non-Union port and wheel-marked equipment is not available.

Recent and upcoming changes

The MED's equipment requirements are updated by Commission Implementing Regulation. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1533, in force from 23 September 2025, added IRNSS receivers as a new GNSS item. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1434 entered into force on the fortieth day after publication and, according to DNV, updates requirements and testing standards for existing items without adding new ones and removes item MED/3.42a (inert gas, whole system). DNV also reports that declarations for products made after 31 August 2026 must reference the new act.

Article 3 of Regulation 2026/1434 preserves two transitional allowances. Equipment marked as newly inserted by Regulation (EU) 2024/1975 that met national type approval before 4 September 2024 may be placed on the market and on board EU ships until 4 September 2027. Equipment marked as newly inserted by Regulation (EU) 2025/1533 that met national type approval before 23 September 2025 may do so until 23 September 2028.

Related legislation

• SOLAS, MARPOL and COLREG — the conventions named in Article 2(3).
• Regulation (EC) No 391/2009 on common rules and standards for ship inspection and survey organisations.
• Directive 2009/15/EC on common rules and standards for ship inspection and survey organisations and for the relevant activities of maritime administrations.
• Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU — excludes equipment within the MED's scope.
• Recreational Craft Directive 2013/53/EU — covers recreational craft, which are outside the MED.

Common errors

• CE mark in place of wheel mark. Marine equipment in scope of the MED must bear the wheel mark.
• Checking the wrong edition of the requirements. Article 4(1) looks at the time equipment is placed on board, and each implementing regulation changes items. Check the current list and any certificate conditions.
• Forgetting the on-board declaration. Article 29(1)(f) treats failure to send the declaration to the ship as formal non-compliance.
• Reliance on a Notified Body not designated for the MED. Designation is sector-specific.
• Equipment from third countries without MED conformity assessment. Equipment placed on board EU-flagged ships must conform regardless of the country of origin.

Frequently asked questions

Why does marine equipment use the wheel mark instead of CE?

The Directive gives effect to international maritime instruments and sets its own mark, defined in Article 9 and Annex I. Equipment in its scope is subject only to this Directive for the purpose of placing on board an EU ship (Article 3(2)).

Does the MED apply to equipment fitted to an EU-flagged ship outside the EU?

Yes. Article 3(1) applies regardless of whether the ship is situated in the Union when it is fitted with the equipment.

Does the MED apply to non-EU ships?

Not as such. It applies to EU ships. A non-EU ship moving to a Member State flag is inspected under Article 7, and equipment must comply, be accepted as equivalent, or be replaced.

Can a manufacturer self-declare marine equipment?

No. Article 15(2) requires conformity assessment through a notified body, using Module B with D, E or F, or Module G for individually produced sets, as the implementing regulation allows.

How long must the documentation be kept?

At least 10 years after the wheel mark has been affixed, and never less than the expected life of the equipment (Article 12(4)).

Which list of equipment applies today?

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1434, in force since 31 August 2026. The list is revised regularly, so check for a later act before relying on it.

Sources

• Directive 2014/90/EU (Marine Equipment) — EUR-Lex consolidated text.
• EU agency information — EMSA: marine equipment.
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1434 — OJ text (Spanish) via BOE.
• DNV — Updated Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1434.
• Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/414 — EUR-Lex; Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/608 — EUR-Lex.
• International Maritime Organization (IMO) Conventions — SOLAS, MARPOL, COLREG.
• Commission Notice — Blue Guide 2022 — EUR-Lex.