From January 1, 2023, the Polish Register of Shipping will deal with the certification of drones. The institution, whose main goals are focused on sea-going ships, will also deal with drones as a result of legal changes that oblige manufacturers to provide their flying units with an appropriate certificate that guarantees compliance with European standards.
– The policy of expanding our activity results, first of all, from the willingness to offer clients a full range of services that they are interested in. Secondly, drones are used in industry, including the maritime industry. The certification division will be responsible for the drone compliance assessment, and the shipping division will deal with the regulation of the use of drones on ships or maritime structures – explains Przemysław Gałka from the Polish Ship Register in an interview with Radio Gdańsk.
It is worth adding that drones that were purchased before the introduction of these regulations are also subject to certification, but the good news for their owners is that it is still on the manufacturer.
Piotr Gałka explains that there are two ways to solve this problem – the responsibility for assigning the class lies with the manufacturer – says the expert – either older drones will have to be withdrawn from the market, i.e. bought from users, or the manufacturer will update the software and send appropriate labels that you will need to stick it on the drone – but the second option is much more likely.
The situation of owners-constructors who have built their own aircraft on their own is less favorable, but are legally their manufacturers, so it is their responsibility to take care of the appropriate certificates.
