The Merchant Shipping (Passenger Ship Construction: Ships of Classes III to VI(A)) Regulations 1998

Emergency source of electrical power and emergency switchboards: ships of Class III

46.—(1) In a ship of Class III which is provided with an emergency bilge pump in compliance with Schedule 6 in Merchant Shipping Notice MSN 1699(M), or an emergency fire pump, being an electrically operated pump, there shall be provided, in a position above the bulkhead deck outside of the machinery casings, a self-contained emergency source of electrical power, capable of operating the pump for a period of 24 hours.

(2) The emergency source of electrical power shall be either an accumulator (storage) battery capable of complying with the requirement of paragraph (1), without being recharged, whilst maintaining the voltage of the battery throughout the required discharge period within 12 per cent of the normal voltage, or a generator driven by internal combustion machinery with an individual fuel supply and with efficient starting arrangements and the fuel provided shall have a flashpoint of not less than 43°C.

(3) The emergency source of electric power shall be so arranged that it will operate efficiently when the ship is listed to 22.5 degrees and when the trim of the ship is 10 degrees from an even keel.

(4) The emergency switchboard shall be situated as near as practicable to the emergency source of emergency electrical power. If the emergency source of electrical power is a generating set—

(a) the emergency switchboard shall be situated in the same space as the generator unless the operation of the emergency switchboard would be thereby impaired; and

(b) an interconnecting feeder, adequately protected at each end, connecting the main and emergency switchboards shall be fitted.

• For the purposes of this paragraph an environmental enclosure within the main boundaries of the space does not provide separation between the emergency generator and the emergency switchboard.

(5) Any accumulator battery required by this regulation shall not be installed in the same space as the emergency switchboard.

Additional requirements for ships of Class III constructed on or after 1st September 1984

(5) The emergency source of electrical power and its associated equipment shall be in accordance with the relevant conditions and specifications set out in Schedule 7 in Merchant Shipping Notice MSN 1699(M).