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ABYC, ICOMIA & NMMA Move Forward on
A Global Marine Standards Harmonization Initiative
November 30, 2006, Annapolis, MD; Surrey, England; Chicago, IL: During a recent meeting held at the Marine Equipment Trade Show (METS) a significant move forward towards the harmonization and co-recognition of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and ABYC standards was made. This process originally began at the International Marine Standards Summit held this past May in Annapolis, MD. Participating organizations at this second gathering included the Chairman of the ISO Technical Committee 188 (which is the ISO technical committee that updates and maintains small craft standards), the International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA) and the American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC), in concert with representation from the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA).
At the meeting, participants agreed on the following:
The primary purpose of boat industry standards is to achieve an acceptable level of safety in a product while contributing to the international trading of goods. Recognizing the significance of the international dimension of our industry, all parties recognized that to date a globally adopted set of standards does not exist. Therefore the objective of this Standards Harmonization Initiative is to achieve one globally accepted specification for use by all stakeholders. ABYC and ISO have started the process, but others are encouraged to participate. This initiative will:
- Identify the applicable standards and/or regulations which affect stakeholders
- Prioritize the standards to be addressed and set timelines for action
- Compare and contrast the relevant standards
- Tabulate the meaningful differences
- Publish these differences to industry as a tool for compliance (ICOMIA Global Conformity Guidelines)
- Ensure reviews of the standards address the meaningful differences and seek to resolve them
The outcome of this initiative will be to deliver either a harmonized standard or revised ICOMIA/ABYC set of Global Conformity Guidelines.
The methodology to be used as the initial pilot test between now and early February will focus on Fuel Systems (H24 / H33 / ISO 10088 / ISO 21487). Once the results of this test have been evaluated, TC 188 and ABYC will issue harmonization / co-recognition guidance to their working group leaders.
Tony Rice, Secretary General of ICOMIA said, "I am very pleased that we have built on the work achieved at the International Marine Standards Summit held in Annapolis. We have a clear plan of action and are fully committed to achieving rapid and significant progress."
"This is a very 'roll up your sleeves and get to work' kind of project," stated John Adey, ABYC Technical Director. "It will take resources from all organizations involved to produce useful and meaningful results to benefit our industry stakeholders; done correctly this could be one of the most widely used products in the boating industry today."
Tom Marhevko, VP of Engineering Standards at NMMA commented, "Although we may never see a single worldwide set of standards, we hope to bring standards closer in line by first identifying the differences in similar standards, and then linking these differences to the appropriate work group and technical committee for possible resolution. This is a first step and a long journey."
ABYC has been developing, writing and updating the safety standards for boat building and repair in the United States for over 50 years. ABYC is actively involved with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) as well as education and certification programs for marine technicians. These standards are available on CD-ROM, online (Web-STIR) and in printed form. Membership and general information can be requested by visiting the ABYC web site at www.abycinc.org.
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