# The Merchant Shipping (Marine Equipment) Regulations 2025, Regulation 7: Equivalents


(1) Where marine equipment to be placed on board a United Kingdom ship is subject to the requirements set out in regulation 5(1) but—
(a) there is no compliant equipment of that type available on the market;
(b) the available compliant equipment of that type is not suitable for reasons of technical compatibility with a given ship; or
(c) compliant equipment of that type is not available to a given ship due to exceptional circumstances,
the Secretary of State may permit, on terms the Secretary of State deems appropriate, an alternative piece of equipment to be placed on board that ship as an equivalent, subject to the conditions set out in paragraph (2).
(2) The conditions are that the alternative piece of equipment—
(a) is, in the opinion of the Secretary of State, at least as effective as equipment which would comply with the relevant requirements set out in regulation 5(1); or
(b) has been approved for placing on board a ship by a recognised country.
(3) The Secretary of State may, on reasonable notice, alter or cancel any permission granted under paragraph (1).
(4) A permission granted for equipment as an equivalent under paragraph (1), and a continuation, alteration, or cancellation under paragraph (3), must be given in writing and must specify the date on which it takes effect and the terms (if any) on which it is given.
(5) In this regulation “compliant equipment” means equipment that complies with applicable international standards.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2025/9780348275520/regulation/7 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/draft-merchant-shipping-marine-equipment-regulations-2025/regulation-7
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.