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Fake parts are voiding type approvals and not meeting legislation.

Posted on 1st August 2018

VOID: TYPE Approval

Buy cheap, buy twice. We’ve all heard it and it’s often lurking in the back of your mind when making a purchasing decision.

Sometimes, there’s that temptation.

You’ve got a tight budget.
You’ve been asked to streamline spending.
You’re eager to meet targets.

But, you don’t want an explosion on your vessel.

We’ve recently been made aware of ‘pirate’ level switches for use with our BULKSAFE water ingress detection system are being openly supplied in the market, which led to a CRITICAL SAFETY WARNING being issued.

Considering using pirate, or shall we say fake parts? You need to be aware that:

  • Use of non-certified sensors breaches the maritime type approval
  • Use of non-certified sensors breaches Atex and Baseefa safety rules regarding intrinsic safety

You may be in communications with a trusted supplier regarding these parts. If that’s the case you should ensure you have written communication with details questions regarding all areas of regulation and type approval.

Regarding our MM900 level switch fake copies, we recommended asking the following:

  • How have you confirmed that the sensor is intrinsically safe and not capable of causing an explosion?
  • How have you confirmed the sensor is compatible with the safety barrier and intrinsic safety arrangement in the BULKSAFE system?
  • How have you confirmed the sensor has the required IP68 ingress protection in salt water at 25metres for 20 days?
  • How have you confirmed the sensor will operate reliably with iron ore, coal dust and cement as required under type approval?

Obviously, we all have budget constraints and boards to please. Ultimately, safety should be first and foremost. Ensure you meet legislation and meet type approval by only purchasing from regulated manufacturers.

For almost 20 years Martek Marine has offered disruptive innovation to improve safety, welfare and performance on superyachts & commercial ships. Founded in 2000 the Martek Group is now a global business with 70+ staff in the UK and Singapore supplying services to >80 countries.

Worried your parts may be voiding type approval? Want an approved engineer to service you systems ensuring you’re meeting legislation? Speak to a member of our team.

Want to know more?

Download our free eBook for the most up to date information on servicing safety critical systems.