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Marine Equipment (Module D & E)

Marine Equipment – Modules D and E

As Approved Body 0338, BTTG® is accredited for Module D and Module E

All marine equipment covered by the Merchant Shipping Notice MSN 1874 (M+F) must undergo the procedures given in the UK's Merchant Shipping (Marine Equipment) Regulations.

BTTG®, Approved Body 0338, is accredited for all relevant modules for a range of Fire protection equipment within Annex 1 of the MSN 1874. All of these items must go through UK Type-Examination (Module B), and then one of the procedures for checking of production. Module D is suitable for manufacturers of marine equipment with an approved quality system for production, final-product inspection and testing, such as ISO 9001 or similar systems. Module E is suitable for manufacturers with an approved quality system for final inspection and testing.

The Module D/ E Process

The manufacturer should provide BTTG® with its quality-control system documentation. We will then audit the production sites and other premises included in the quality system, such as head office, design offices etc. Once BTTG® decides that the system can produce marine equipment which conforms with the original model, with the UK Regulations and with the relevant standards, then we will issue a Module D or E Certificate. Marine equipment with a Module B issued by another UK Approved Body can be included, provided BTTG® is supplied with copies of the Module B Certificate.

A Module D or E Certificate covers only the specific products listed. Each marine equipment listed on a Module B Certificate must be listed on a Module D or E Certificate to comply with the Regulations.

The Certificate is usually issued for 5 years. BTTG®, as an Approved Body, must continue to monitor the quality-control system by carrying out surveillance audits, generally once per year.

Red Ensign marking and the Declaration of Conformity

Once the Module D or E Certificate is issued, the manufacturer can then issue the Declaration of Conformity and affix the Red Ensign mark to the marine equipment, in accordance with the UK Regulations. The Mark must be accompanied by the BTTG® Approved Body number, 0338, together with the last two or four digits of the year in which the mark is affixed (essentially the year of manufacture) in the form 0338/YYYY or 0338/YY.

The UK Marine Equipment Database

The details of all approved Marine Equipment will be published by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency, available to the public.

Only those products with a valid Module B UK Type-Examination Certificate and also a valid Module D, E or F Certificate are visible.

BTTG® Auditing services

BTTG® auditors are trained to the principles of ISO 9001 and have many years’ experience of auditing marine equipment manufacturers and textile producers, they cover the globe from our bases in the United Kingdom, Ireland, China and India. Marine equipment manufacturers in Europe, Asia, and North and South America may rely upon our professional auditing staff to deliver product specific, high-quality auditing, to internationally renowned quality management auditing standards. Our auditors can often combine the Module D audit with a PPE Regulations UKCA Module D audit for manufacturers of firefighter equipment for marine use, and with a Factory Production Control audit for manufacturers of surface coverings and other products also requiring UK Construction Products approval, providing a cost-effective solution for manufacturers targeting both markets.

BTTG®, through our UK based auditors, can also provide ISO 9001 certification, and can usually conduct a Module D audit alongside the ISO 9001 audit. This allows a manufacturer to gain Quality Management Systems approval at the same time as fulfilling their regulatory obligations (see here for our ISO 9001 information).