FAQ's
Frequently asked questions about the Marine Stores Guide.
APIs are technical services which will need a good knowledge of web development to use; if your team has developers, then you may be equipped to start working with our API.
Our team is currently rolling out access to the MSG API, starting with stakeholders such as shipping procurement platforms and MSG Data Resellers. In the coming months, we will share information on how this will work with the public.
The API allows users to access the MSG Data in a live environment which can be updated more often and saves the need for uploads of the MSG Data with each new release.
The MSG API is the latest way to access MSG Data, which is now based in a cloud-based system.
The Data is supplied as an Excel file.
First of all you won’t receive the Data updates and secondly you will be in breach of the copyright of the IMPA MSG data.
The Data Service includes vital updates which are available every six months and include new and important codes; as a Data Licence customer you automatically get these updates in the package. For more than one machine, it is more cost effective to have a Data Licence agreement, which is based on the fleet size (Ship owners and operators) or company size (Ship Suppliers) rather than individual books.
The CD-Rom was discontinued back in 2013.
Yes, if you wish to import images they are available as a separate file with reference numbers for each image for easy installation into your system.
Once the Data Licence agreement is completed, the data is made available to you. The process can be finished in just a few hours.
The cost for buyers and suppliers to subscribe to the MSG Data Service is based on an initial one-time setup fee as well as an annual subscription fee. This is separated into two bands –Band A and Band B; see Data Licence page for full details.
The cost for manufacturers, wholesalers and ship suppliers (Publisher Licence) is separated into 5 different bands; see data licence brochure for more details.
The standard subscription for the Data Licence is 1 year that will be on a rolling contract basis, meaning that your licence will be automatically renewed after 12 months. The minimum licence period is for three years (except for the Publisher Licence - one year).
Some companies will have their IT and software provider organise the data installation for them. In certain cases, IMPA offers the data to resellers who will automatically install the IMPA MSG Data directly into their system. In other cases, the companies’ IT department will install the MSG Data. In which case they will be given access to both the initial data and subsequent updates. Please talk to your IT provider in the first instance regarding installation.
The updated data is made available in the same way as the initial data and is available via the links on the marine stores guide website. You will receive an automated email to advise you that the updates are available for downloading. In the case of the Publisher Licence, a bespoke data package will be prepared according to the codes selected by the client.
To use the IMPA Marine Stores Guide Data in your purchasing system you need to have a data licence agreement in place, which is issued by the IMPA office in the UK.
This straightforward agreement sets out the terms of the Data Licence and the fees. A copy of the licence agreement can be obtained from the IMPA administration office and at marinestoresguide.com.
Once you have completed the licence agreement, you will have access to the IMPA data to import into your systems.
Each year, at the anniversary of your licence agreement, IMPA will contact you to update your information (e.g. fleet size, number of employees, etc.) and a renewal invoice is sent according to the updated information. No further action is required from your side.
IMPA can provide the updated data to ship owners and operators in a variety of different ways. For more information, visit the Data Licence section of this website.
There are a variety of different ways to utilise the data for your IT needs. The data service has been launched to work with e-commerce systems and is provided by IMPA. This version includes updates of the data every six months with all new inclusions.
The Guide in its printed format is produced every five years. The upcoming seventh edition was published in 2018 and the eighth edition will be published in 2023/2024
This website now acts as a vehicle for companies to present new products for inclusion in future editions of the Guide, it also allows companies to advise the publishing team of new products, errors and omissions and out of date products please contact us.
The Guide is priced at €190 and available from a number of worldwide distributors. There is a full list and an order form on this site listed under the distributors section.
The new Guide contains over 7,000 new items with over 50,000 unique six digit codes, products are divided into 34 different categories ranging from clothing to paint and electric tools to machinery equipment, a full list can be found on this website under the section Book 7th edition.
IMPA is the International Marine Purchasing Association and is a marine trade association that promotes co-operation and understanding between purchasers and suppliers (www.impa.net). Since 1993, IMPA has been the joint publisher of the Guide.
The Marine Stores Guide in its original format was first published in 1978 and since then nearly 90,000 copies have been sold.
