This document outlines the marine electrical standard requirements for electrical machinery and systems on ships. It discusses SOLAS regulations regarding main and emergency electrical power sources. Equipment like generators, circuit breakers, switchboards, cables, and motors are subject to periodic surveys to check they are maintained according to classification standards. The objectives are to understand general requirements for electrical power provision and ensure safety.

1. Marine Electrical Standard
Requiremnent

2. Lesson overview
• Shore based connection requirement for
equipment for shipboard equipment
• Electrical system and dynamic marine
environment- vibration and voltage fluctuation
• SOLAS minimum requirements for electrical
machinery installation
• Electrical equipments installation on board
ship - From indicator bulb/lamp up to main
propulsion

3. Objectives
• To know general requirements for electrical
machinery on board ship
• To understand general requirements for
provision of electrical power and lighting for
normal & emergency operation

4. Introduction
• Must meet minimum standards specified by various
national & international organizations
• For British registered vessel, to comply:
– Regulations for the Electrical and Electronic Equipment of
Ships - Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE)
– British Standards Institute (BSI) - combined with
Recommendations for Electrical and Electronic Equipment
of Offshore Installations
• The Merchant Shipping Rules - MCA
• SOLAS – IMO Convention
• British Standards (BS)
• International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)

5. Introduction
• General requirements - refer to SOLAS requirements
• Chapter II-1 - outlines requirements for Ship
construction sub-division and stability, machinery
and electrical installations
• 5 Parts:
– Part A General
– Part B Sub-division and stability
– Part C Machinery installations
– Part D Electrical installations
– Part E Additional requirements for periodically
unattended machinery spaces

6. • Part D:
– Regulation 40
• General
– Regulation 41
• Main source of electrical power and lighting systems
– Regulation 42
• Emergency source of electrical power in passenger ships
– Regulation 42-1
• Supplementary emergency lighting for Ro-Ro passenger ships
– Regulation 43
• Emergency source of electrical power in cargo ships
– Regulation 44
• Starting arrangements for emergency generator sets
– Regulation 45
• Precautions against shock, fire and other hazards of electrical origin

7. • Standards specified met when ship is designed,
built, approved and classified
• Ship owner & operating staff to maintain
vessel and its electrical installation to Class
requirements throughout ship's lifetime
• Periodical survey - to check installation is
maintained to Class Rules

8. Items subject to survey
• Generators and Governors
• Circuit Breakers
• Switchboards and Fittings
• Cables
• Insulation Resistance
• Motors and Starters
• Emergency Power Equipments
• Parts of Steering Gear
• Navigation Light Indicators
• UMS vessels
• Tankers

9. • For UMS - survey of associated alarms, controls and
fire detection is required
• For tankers/gas carriers & others transporting
flammable cargo - additional survey for electrical
equipment in hazardous areas
• Carried out during each docking survey & annual
survey - Means - electrical equipment in hazardous
area is surveyed every year

10. Generators & Governors

11. Generators & Governors
• Clean
• Respond correctly to controls & load changes
• Stable operation when running in parallel
• Windings - free of dust, oil and moisture
• Visual check - deterioration, abrasion or cracking of insulation
around winding end coils on stator
• Insulation test to carry out while machine still hot after
running on load
• Minimum 1.5 MΩ for new equipment
• Surveyor - > 1kΩ/volt min value for 440V genset
• HV equipment – min IR level (kV + 1) MΩ
• e.g. for 6.6 kV motor, the acceptable min IR would be 7.6 MΩ

12. Generators & Governors
• Appropriate action taken before carried out megger test
• Contact surface of commutator or slip-rings
• Contact surfaces – smooth & concentric without signs of
pitting or deep grooves
• Carbon brushes - adequate length, correct spring pressure and
properly contoured onto its commutator or slip-ring
• Important to remove excess carbon dust in brush gear &
around rotor coils
• To run tests, on load, confirm of proper governor & AVR
operation
• Correct indication – V, f, A, kW, power factor
• Governor response to sudden load changes - within declared
specification
• Stability of load sharing during parallel operation - clearly
demonstrated

13. Circuit breaker

14. Circuit breaker
• Visual examination - main, arcing and auxiliary contacts for wear, misalignment and
overheating
• Similar inspection - fixed and moving isolator contacts at rear of circuit-breaker
• Arc chutes - clean, free of arc debris and correctly aligned
• Internal wiring - good condition & end connections tight
• Mechanical linkages - checked for wear or stress
• Tests
– close and trip operations while in isolated position
– racking mechanism - free moving & fixed main terminals must shuttered off when breaker is
withdrawn
• Emergency hand charging (if fitted) - correct operation of mechanical indicators (open,
closed or isolated)
• UV release mechanism & OCR settings for level and time delay - clearly set
• Basically, OCR trip generator breaker - set for 130% of FLC with 3s delay
• In addition, to suit generator thermal capacity & coordinated with overall protection scheme
for power system
• Only proper current injection test – prove manufacturer's I/t characteristics & settings
(specialist task)
• CB time delay mechanisms with oil dash pots – to filled to correct level with clean oil of
maker recommended type

15. Switchboard & fittings

16. Switchboard & fittings

17. Switchboard & fittings
• Section / distribution board – clean
• Includes all internal / external panel surfaces, instrument faces and control
switches
• Thorough cleaning inside main swbd carried out only when the board is
completely dead
• Bus-bar & aux connections checked for tightness during major internal clean
up
• Overheating signs at connection - loose joint
• Direct heat testing (IR thermal camera) - useful technique for locating hot-
spots
• Bus-bar supports - examined for surface tracking & damage to insulation
material
• All internal wiring securely fixed
• Cable entries at bottom of switchboard sealed with non-flammable material –
prevent dirt & act as fire stop
• Earth bar securely bonded to both board frame (ship's hull)

18. Switchboard & fittings
• One secondary terminal of each CT) and instruments and relays
metal cases should wired to main earth bar
• Hinged panel doors bonded with earth strap to swbd frame
• Feeder isolator & fuse holder contacts - checked for mechanical
wear / damage due overheating / arcing at contacts
• Lightly smear moving contacts with contact lubricant –
recommended
• Operational tests - synchronising controls & generator protection
relays (reverse power & preferential tripping)
• Typical reverse power trip settings – 5~15% of generator power
rating, with 0.5~2.5 sec for diesel drive
• 2~5% and 5 s - turbo-generator settings
• E.g - cargo winches & cranes may feed power back into supply
network, under light load, such feedback may cause generator to
trip on reverse power if time delay set too short

19. Cable

20. Cable
• Close visual examination beside megger test
• Inspection - external damage of cable's outer sheath and wire or basket weave
armouring (if fitted)
• Adequately supported along horizontal / vertical runs by suitable clips / ties
• If running along open deck with expansion loops - examined for abrasion and
wear
• For cables pass though bulkheads - correctly glanded or through stopper
boxes, prevent fire passage between compartments
• Common insulations onboard - EPR (ethylene propylene rubber) or butyl
rubber, sheathed with PCP (polychloroprene) or CSP (chlorosulphonated
polyethelene)
• EPR/butyl subjected to oil vapour - to tape / sleeve cable ends
• Flexible cables to light fittings, power tools, etc. - inspected for mechanical
damage, repeated dragged and chafed
• Copper strap / flexible earthing braid/wire - bond equipment steel frame to
ship's hull

21. Insulation resistance
• Surveyor - results of recent insulation tests on
all 440V & 220 V
• List indicate test date's, weather conditions
(hot, humid, etc) & comments (e.g. machine
hot or cold)
• For generators & main motors - IR trend,
history of past results

22. Insulation resistance
Required to test on selected motors
• Visual examination - frame & terminal for damaged or missing
parts
• General neglect suspected if motor covered with dirt, oil or
rust
• TEFV induction motors - require less attention as windings
well protected
• Drip proof, weatherproof & deck water tight – thoroughly
inspected
• May need to open - check ingress of oil / water, insulation
damage & internal corrosion
• Commutator / slip-ring - checked for rotary contacts and brush
gear
• Cargo cranes and winches are not strictly part of a survey as
they are not considered essential to the safety of the ship.

23. Insulation resistance
• Running test – vibration, noise, worn out bearings & ampere
compared to rating plate
• Remote stop/start buttons, regulating resistors etc. - check for
burned & misaligned contacts
• General condition of starter equipment - loose connections,
worn pigtails on moving contacts, badly carbonised arc chutes
& overheating on coils, transformers & resistors
• Dust / weather proof features - in place & serviceable
• Functional checks – starts from local, remote and emergency,
signal lamp status
• OCR trip settings compared with motor FLC rating
• Fuse size & type for starter - checked against maker's drawings
& motor rating

24. Electrical power & associated equipment
• Sequence & operation of emergency generator - manually & automatically
• Emergency switchboard - voltage, current and frequency checked when
powered by emergency generator
• Functioning of emergency lighting, fire pump & other emergency
equipment
• Interlocking arrangements between main & emergency switchboard
• Auto-start relays (voltage / frequency operated) examined and tested
• Emergency battery installation & charging rectifier
• Battery – dry, well ventilated, top parts clean, terminal & connections free
from corrosion & greased, proper electrolyte level & correct SG value
• Safety notices & PPE available adjacent to batteries & proper ventilation
• Battery charging equipment - checks for dirt, overheating, loose
connections & correct functioning of indicators, instruments and alarms

25. Steering gear parts

26. Steering gear parts
• 3 important parts:
– Power unit
– Steering control
– Indications and alarms
• Power unit - duplicate motors & starters supplied from main swbd
• SOLAS requirements - one motors to be supplied from emergency swbd
• Motors, starters & c/o supply switch units to be inspected
• Rudder control (hydraulic telemotor or electric controller), supplies, changeover
facilities for steering wheel and auto pilot must tested & well functional
• Rudder swung from 32° port to 32° stbd in 28 sec with loaded condition
• SG status indications operate correctly - steering flat, MCR & on bridge
• Bridge indication should compared with direct mechanical indicator on rudder stock in
steering flat
• Motor over current alarms – test by simulating over current relay
• SG motor does not have OCR protection – fuses only
• Hydraulic low level alarms - correct initiation by level sensors

27. Navigation light indicators

28. Navigation light indicators
• Indicator operates correctly & shall gives
appropriate alarms
• Simulation – by pulling the fuse
• Power supply must duplicated & c/o facilities
checked
• Visual inspection on cable to the lights
• Actual light fittings for navigation - part of
Safety Equipment Survey

29. UMS operation
• Apart from basic survey, additional survey required to include
alarms, fire detection, controls and fail-safe features
• Alarms associated with ME, AE, lubrication & cooling - tested
for correct operation
• Testing of circuits for sensors – manually by switch or simulate
to alarm condition - prove function correctly
• Sensor calibration & alarm annunciators – specialist
• Initiation and action of automatic shut down features to be tested
• Essential drives for lubrication, cooling & fuel are duplicated - on
duty/standby basis, automatically start up standby unit if duty
pump pressure loss
• Automatic start-up (under voltage & under-frequency relay) of
emergency generator demonstrated, run up to speed & supply
voltage to emergency swbd

30. UMS operation
• Stby generator starts automatically if loss of duty generator & supplying voltage within
45 sec
• Followed by automatic restarting of essential auxiliaries - lubrication, cooling, fuel &
steering
• Bilge level alarms with automatic bilge pumping must proven
• Main & stby power supplies to overall alarm monitoring system - inspected & tested
• Stby power arrangement - backup battery & its trickle-charger to inspect
• Tests made on UMS alarm system to verify:
– alarms displayed on main console relayed to group alarm panel on bridge
– duty engr call system - duty engineer cabin, duty mess and lounges
– Allowance of 2-3 minutes to respond to machinery alarm, otherwise dead man alarm sounded
• Complete inspection / test of fire detection system
• All smoke, heat & flame sensors - function correctly, giving audible & visual alarms
• Hand operated fire alarm switches (break glass) - examined & to be tested
• ME controls functional & tested from bridge, local & emergency position
• Operational features of ME control & indication - demonstrated during full engine test
• All equipment & connections associated with engine control - examined for wear & tear,
insulation level, cleanliness, loose connections and overheating

31. Tanker
• Electrical equipment - surveyed every 4 yrs & during docking
• Hazardous area electrical equipment - surveyed every year
• Common hazardous area electrical equipment - flameproof enclosure type
(Exd) - light fittings, motors, starters, push-buttons and alarm bells
• Inspected for surface cleanliness, corrosion & secure mountings
• Light fittings – cement, bonds the lamp glass to its frame - inspected for cracks
or indentations
• All bolts in place, evenly torqued-up and of correct type
• Edges of ‘Exd’ flamepath flanged joints - not painted over / impeded
• Must be adjudged weatherproof with correct (approved) gaskets or O rings in
place
• Fittings may opened up - check condition of flamepath surfaces for corrosion,
pitting or scratches
• Ex Certification & equipment rating label must not painted over
• No alterations allow on Exd equipment without permission from Certification
Authority - lamp size & its rating

32. Exd Flamepaths

33. • Pump rooms - pressurized light fittings (Exp)
• To confirm - fittings are purged & pressurized before light is
switched on
• Lights automatically switched off if air pressure drops
• Instrumentation & communication equipment - must
intrinsically safe (Exi)
• Most Exi - zener barriers connected in line with IS circuits &
fitted in safe area, outside hazardous area
• Test zener barriers – uneasy task, accepted if equipment
function correctly when circuit fault arise
• Visual inspection during installation
• Barriers have secure connections & bolted to earth strap,
bonded to ship's hull

34. Exi Barrier Circuit