MED - Directive 2014/90/EU

What MED is and why it matters

The Marine Equipment Directive (MED) — formally Directive 2014/90/EU on marine equipment — is the EU law that governs the safety equipment placed on board ships flying the flag of an EU Member State. Its purpose is to give effect, in a uniform way across the Union, to the safety and pollution-prevention requirements that already exist under international conventions. Where the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and instruments such as the SOLAS convention set out what life-saving, fire-protection, navigation and pollution-prevention equipment a ship must carry and how it must perform, MED is the mechanism that turns those international rules into a single EU conformity regime with one mark and one set of procedures.

MED matters because it removes the duplication and divergence that would otherwise arise if each flag State assessed marine equipment differently. For a manufacturer, it means that equipment carrying the directive’s mark is accepted on board EU-flagged ships without each administration re-testing it. The Directive ties EU conformity directly to the relevant international testing standards, so the bar a product must meet is set by IMO instruments rather than by EU-only specifications.

📄 Official text: Directive 2014/90/EU on marine equipment — on EUR-Lex →

Who MED applies to

MED applies across the supply chain for equipment intended to be placed on board EU-flagged ships, rather than to a single actor. The duties scale with your role:

Manufacturers — anyone who makes a piece of marine equipment, or who has it made and markets it under their own name or trademark. They carry the heaviest obligations, including arranging conformity assessment, drawing up the declaration of conformity and affixing the wheel mark.
Authorised representatives — a person established in the EU appointed in writing by the manufacturer to perform defined tasks on their behalf.
Importers — businesses placing equipment from outside the EU onto the Union market. They must verify the manufacturer has carried out the proper conformity assessment, that the wheel mark is affixed and that the required documentation accompanies the product.
Distributors — actors further down the chain who must act with due care, check that the wheel mark and documents are present, and not make available equipment they know or should presume to be non-compliant.

The Directive covers equipment placed on board a ship at the time the EU enforces compliance with the international instruments, for which those instruments require the flag State administration’s approval. The specific items in scope — for example life-saving appliances, marine pollution prevention equipment, fire protection equipment, navigation equipment and radio-communication equipment — are identified by the Commission rather than left to interpretation.

Key dates and timeline

2014 — Directive 2014/90/EU was adopted, replacing the earlier Marine Equipment Directive 96/98/EC.
18 September 2016 — the Directive applies from this date, the point from which its requirements and the wheel-mark regime took effect, with the repeal of Directive 96/98/EC.
Ongoing — because the underlying international requirements and testing standards change over time, the Commission keeps the list of in-scope equipment and the applicable design, construction and performance requirements up to date through implementing regulations. These are republished periodically so that the EU regime tracks current IMO and SOLAS requirements.

Core requirements

Compliance with international requirements

At the heart of MED is the obligation that marine equipment placed on board an EU-flagged ship must meet the design, construction and performance requirements set out in the applicable international instruments — the relevant IMO conventions, resolutions and circulars, including SOLAS — as they apply at the time the equipment is placed on board. Equipment must also be tested in accordance with the international testing standards referenced for it. MED does not set independent technical specifications; it points to the international rules and makes conformity with them the condition for the EU mark.

Conformity assessment by notified bodies

Before equipment can carry the mark, it must go through a conformity assessment procedure carried out with the involvement of a notified body — a conformity assessment body designated by a Member State and notified to the Commission. The procedures available typically combine an EU type-examination of the product with a production-phase module that ensures ongoing equipment conforms to the approved type. The notified body verifies that the equipment meets the international design and performance requirements and has passed testing to the relevant international standards. The manufacturer then draws up an EU declaration of conformity keeping it and the supporting technical documentation available for the authorities.

The wheel mark

Conforming marine equipment does not carry the CE marking. Instead it carries the “wheel mark” — a symbol in the shape of a ship’s steering wheel (helm) — which indicates conformity with MED. The wheel mark is affixed to the product, or to its data plate, visibly, legibly and indelibly when the equipment is placed on board, and is followed by the identification number of the notified body involved in the production-control phase and the year of marking. Affixing the wheel mark is the manufacturer’s declaration that the equipment meets the applicable international requirements and has been through the required conformity assessment.

The electronic tag option

To improve traceability and combat counterfeiting, MED allows the wheel mark to be supplemented or replaced by a reliable electronic tag. Where an electronic tag is used, it must be readable across the equipment’s expected service life. This option lets administrations and market surveillance authorities verify the provenance and conformity of equipment more efficiently and helps trace items as ships and equipment change hands.

The Commission’s role in defining scope

Rather than fixing a static list in the Directive itself, MED empowers the Commission to determine and update the list of equipment subject to the wheel mark and the applicable requirements and testing standards, through implementing regulations. This keeps the EU regime aligned with the evolving body of international maritime law without each change requiring an amendment to the Directive.

Obligations by role

Manufacturers — ensure equipment meets the applicable international requirements, arrange conformity assessment with a notified body, draw up the declaration of conformity and technical documentation, affix the wheel mark and ensure traceability.
Authorised representatives — perform the tasks set out in their written mandate from the manufacturer.
Importers — verify the conformity assessment was done, that the wheel mark is present and documentation accompanies the equipment, and add their own identification where required.
Distributors — check the wheel mark and documents are present, handle equipment with due care, and stop making available products they believe to be non-compliant.

Enforcement

Each Member State carries out market surveillance of marine equipment and ensures that only conforming equipment is placed on board ships flying its flag. Flag State administrations and surveyors verify, as part of survey and certification, that equipment on board carries the wheel mark and meets the applicable international requirements. In Denmark, the Danish Maritime Authority (Søfartsstyrelsen) is the competent authority for ships and marine equipment.

Where non-compliant equipment is found, authorities can require corrective action, restrict or prohibit its being made available, and order it to be withdrawn or recalled. Because equipment that fails to meet international requirements can compromise the safety certification of a ship, the practical stakes are high: non-compliant equipment can prevent a vessel from sailing or invalidate the certificates it depends on.

Getting compliant

Confirm whether your equipment is on the Commission’s list of items requiring the wheel mark, and identify the applicable international requirements and testing standards.
Have the equipment tested to the relevant international testing standards.
Engage a notified body and complete the appropriate conformity assessment procedure (type examination plus a production module).
Draw up the EU declaration of conformity and compile the technical documentation.
Affix the wheel mark — and, where used, the electronic tag — with the notified body number and year.
Keep the declaration and documentation available and ensure importers and distributors can verify conformity.
Track Commission implementing regulations so your equipment stays aligned as the list and standards are updated.

How Conphora helps

Conphora monitors MED and maps your equipment against its requirements, flagging gaps in conformity assessment, the wheel mark, declarations and documentation before they become enforcement problems. The platform helps you generate and keep the right documentation, and alerts you when the Commission updates the list of in-scope equipment or the applicable testing standards so your compliance stays current.

See how Conphora works · Start free with Conphora

Sources and further reading

This guide is for general information and is not legal advice.

Last updated: 12 June 2026