The Marine Stores Guide (MSG) is updated every five years and is widely used across the global maritime industry as a standard reference for marine supply trading, procurement, and product classification. With the release of the MSG 8th Edition, the Guide has undergone a comprehensive catalogue-level update, providing marine suppliers, traders, and procurement teams with a clearer and more up-to-date foundation for product selection and communication.
The MSG 8th Edition is available in both printed book format and data licensing formats, making it suitable for traditional trading workflows as well as digital procurement systems and platform integrations.
Catalogue-Wide Updates Aligned with Today’s Trading Needs
Rather than a routine revision, the MSG 8th Edition reflects a broad realignment with current marine supply market requirements. Key improvements include:
- Over 40,000 code-level updates across the catalogue, including additions, revisions, and removals
- More than 3,000 new codes introduced to cover newly developed products and applications
- Extensive use of full-colour reference images to reduce ambiguity in product identification
- Increased visibility of environmentally friendly and sustainability-related product options, responding to growing demand from shipowners and management companies
These updates strengthen MSG’s role not only as a coding system, but as a practical reference for sourcing, quotation, and product matching in marine supply trade.
Printed MSG: A Practical Tool for Trade Communication
The printed MSG remains an important working tool in marine supply trading. In the 8th Edition, improvements in structure and presentation make it even more suitable for commercial use:
- Clearer product categorization for faster reference
- Visual support through images, helping avoid misunderstandings during inquiries and quotations
- Better organization of safety- and environment-related products, supporting customer recommendations
For marine supply companies, the printed MSG continues to serve as a common language between suppliers, buyers, ship crews, and technical teams.
MSG Data: Supporting Digital Trade and System Integration
The same level of enhancement is reflected in the MSG data set, which includes a large number of new, revised, and removed codes. The addition of high-quality reference images significantly improves data usability for:
- Marine procurement and quotation systems
- Order management and inventory platforms
- Shipowner and ship management company portals
- API-based data exchange and automation
These updates are already available to Marine Stores Guide Online (MSGO) and API users, enabling immediate adoption in digital trading environments.
Safety Signs: A Key Upgrade for Compliance-Focused Trade
One of the most relevant improvements for marine supply traders is the comprehensive enhancement of Safety Sign content, supported by contributions from Ertecna Lda.
This update includes:
- 1,606 updated codes
- 232 newly added codes
- 1,082 revised codes
- 78 obsolete or redundant codes removed
- 1,356 new reference images
Safety signs are closely linked to vessel inspections, PSC requirements, and regulatory compliance. The inclusion of reference images aligned with IMO and ISO standards helps suppliers and traders reduce compliance risks and ensure correct delivery.
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