Article

This year marks the 20th anniversary of a partnership between NMMA and the International Marine Certification Institute (IMCI) to certify recreational boats in the American and European markets.

The partnership was created in 2001 to streamline the recreational boating inspection process for the two largest boating areas of the world, the United States and European Union. This resulted in one inspection and two certifications for all boats and yachts coming from all over the world.

“The National Marine Manufacturers Association is proud to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the global joint inspection and certification program cofounded by NMMA and IMCI,” said Frank Hugelmeyer, NMMA president. “This program has created a more efficient, streamlined inspection process across the US and EU in order to ensure consumers are purchasing boats designed and built to the very highest global standards.”

Ulrich Heinemann, CEO of IMCI said: "The realisation of this idea was an immediate success and made the International Marine Certification Institute probably the world's largest and most successful certifier in our industry. In this joint programme, IMCI and NMMA use a group of assessors who have been and are trained on both ABYC and ISO standards. Thus, upon successful completion of a single inspection sequence, both CE and NMMA certification can be awarded.”