High quality marine equipment is indispensable for the safe operation of a ship, life-saving capabilities and the protection of the marine environment. Therefore the international maritime safety conventions require flag States to ensure that the equipment carried on board ships complies with certain safety requirements as regards design, construction and performance, and to issue the relevant certificates demonstrating the compliance. To that end, detailed performance and testing standards for certain types of marine equipment have been developed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and by the international and European standardisation bodies. However, the agreed international regulatory framework leaves significant margin of discretion to the flag administrations in terms of how to implement the rules. This can lead to different interpretations and consequently, different levels of safety for the certified marine equipment.