Section 94
of Merchant Shipping (Safety Convention) Regulations, 2003
Section 94
(1)
(a)
A self-contained emergency source of electrical power shall be provided.
{b) The emergency source of electrical power, associated transforming equipment, if any, transitional source of emergency power, emergency switchboard and emergency lighting switchboard shall be located above the uppermost continuous deck and shall be readily accessible from the open deck. They shall not be located forward of the collision bulkhead, except where permitted by the Director in exceptional circumstances.
{c) The location of the emergency source of electrical power, associated transforming equipment, if any, the transitional source of emergency power, the emergency switchboard and the emergency lighting switchboard in relation to the main source of electrical power, associated transforming equipment, if any, and the main switchboard shall be such as to ensure to the satisfaction of the Director that a fire or other casualty in the space containing the main source of electrical power, associated transforming equipment, if any, and the main switchboard, or in any machinery space of category A will not interfere with the supply, control and distribution of emergency electrical power. As far as practicable the space containing the emergency source of electrical power, associated transforming equipment, if any, the transitional source of emergency electrical power and the emergency switchboard shall not be contiguous to the boundaries of machinery spaces of category A or those spaces 628
containing the main source of electrical power, associated transforming equipment, if any, and the main switchboard.
Provided that suitable measures are taken for safeguarding independent emergency operation under all circumstances, the emergency generator may be used, exceptionally, and for short periods, to supply non-emergency circuits.
(2)
The electrical power available shall be sufficient to supply all those services that are essential for safety in an emergency, due regard being paid to such services as may have to be operated simultaneously. The emergency source of electrical power shall be capable, having regard to starting currents and the transitory nature of certain loads, of supplying simultaneously at least the following services for the periods specified in this sub-regulation, if they depend upon an electrical source for their operation -
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(a} for a period of 3 hours, emergency lighting at every muster and embarkation station and over the sides as required by sub-regulation (4) of regulation 136 and sub-regulation (7) of regulation 141;
(bJ for a period of 18 hours, emergency lighting-
(i)
in all service and accommodation alleyways, stairways and exits, personnel lift cars and personnel lift trunks;
(ii)
in the machinery spaces and main generating stations including their control positions;
(iii)
in all control stations, machinery control rooms and at each main and emergency switchboard;
(iv)
at all stowage positions for firemen's outfits;
(v)
at the steering gear;
(vi)
at the fire pump referred to in paragraph (eJ, at the sprinkler pump, if any, and at the emergency bilge pump, if any, and at the starting positions of their motors; and
(vii)
in all cargo pump rooms of tankers constructed on or after 1st. July, 2002;
(cJ for a period of 18 hours-
(i)
the navigation lights and other lights required by the Inter-national Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea in force;
and
(ii)
on ships constructed on or after 1st February, 1995, the VHF radio installation required by paragraphs {a) and {b) of sub-regulation ( 1) of regulation 170; and, if applicable -
(A)
the MF radio installation required by paragraphs {a) and
{b) of sub-regulation (1) of regulation 172 and paragraphs
{b) and {c) of sub-regulation (1) of regulation 173;
(B)
the ship earth station required by paragraph {a) of sub-regulation ( 1) of regulation 173; and
(C)
the MF/HF radio installation required by paragraphs {a)
and {b) of sub-regulation (2) of regulation 173 and sub-regulation (1) of regulation 174;
{d)
for a period of 18 hours-
(i)
all internal communication equipment as required in an emergency;
(ii)
the shipborne navigational equipment as required by regulation 193; where such provision is unreasonable or impracticable, the Director may waive this requirement for ships of less than 5,000 tons;
(iii)
the fire detection and fire alarm system; and
(iv)
intermittent operation of the daylight signaling lamp, the ship's whistle, the manually operated call points and all internal signals that are required in an emergency, unless such services have an independent supply for the period of 18 hours from an accumulator battery suitably located for use in an emergency;
{e)
for a period of 18 hours one of the fire pumps required by para-graphs {a) and (c) of sub-regulation (3) of regulation 109 if dependent upon the emergency generator for its source of power;
{f)
(i)
for the period of time required by sub-regulation ( 14)
of regulation 79 the steering gear where it is required to be so supplied by that regulation;
(ii)
in a ship engaged regularly in voyages of short duration, the
Director, if satisfied that an adequate standard of safety would be attained, may accept a lesser period than the 18 hour 630
period specified in paragraphs (bJ to (e) but not less than 12 hours.
(3}
The emergency source of electrical power may be either a generator or an accumulator battery, which shall comply with the following-
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(aJ where the emergency source of electrical power is a generator, it shall be
(i}
driven by a suitable prime-mover with an independent supply of fuel having a flashpoint (closed cup test) of not less than 43°C;
(ii)
started automatically upon failure of the main source of electrical power supply unless a transitional source of emergency electrical power in accordance with sub-para-graph (iii) is provided. Where the emergency generator is automatically started, it shall be automatically connected to the emergency switchboard; those services referred to in sub-regulation (4) shall then be connected automatically to the emergency generator; and unless a second independent means of starting the emergency generator is provided, the single source of stored energy shall be protected to preclude its complete depletion by the automatic starting system; and
(iii)
provided with a transitional source of emergency electrical power as specified in sub-regulation (4), unless an emergency generator is provided capable both of supplying the services mentioned in sub-regulation (4) and of being automatically started and supplying the required load as quickly as is safe and practicable subject to a maximum of 45 seconds;
(b)
where the emergency source of electrical power is an accumulator battery, it shall be capable of -
(i)
carrying the emergency electrical load without recharging while maintaining the voltage of the battery throughout the discharge period within 12% above or below its nominal voltage;
(ii)
automatically connecting to the emergency switchboard in the event of failure of the main source of electrical power;
and
(iii)
immediately supplying at least those services specified in sub-regulation (4);
{c)
the following provision in paragraph {a}(ii) shall not apply to ships constructed on or after 1st. October, 1994 -
"unless a second independent means of starting the emergency generator is provided, the single source of stored energy shall be protected to preclude its complete depletion by the automatic starting system";
{d) for ships constructed on or after 1st July, 1998, where electrical power is necessary to restore propulsion, the capacity shall be sufficient to restore propulsion to the ship in conjunction with other machinery, as appropriate, from a dead ship condition within 30 minutes after blackout.
(4)
The transitional source of emergency electrical power where required by paragraph {a}(iiil of sub-regulation (3) shall consist of an accumulator battery suitably located for use in an emergency which shall operate without recharging while maintaining the voltage of the battery throughout the discharge period within 12% above or below its nominal voltage and be of sufficient capacity and shall be so arranged as to supply automatically in the event of failure of either the main or the emergency source of electrical power for half an hour at least the following services if they depend upon an electrical source for their operation -
{a} the lighting required by paragraphs {a}, {b) and {c}(i) of sub-regulation (2). For this transitional phase, the required emergency electric lighting, in respect of the machinery space and accommodation and service spaces, may be provided by permanently fixed, individual, automatically charged, relay operated accumulator lamps; and
{b)
all services required by sub-paragraphs ilL (iii) and (iv) of para-graph {d) of sub-regulation {2}, unless such services have an independent supply for the period specified from an accumulator battery suitably located for use in an emergen~y.
(5)
{a} The emergency switchboard shall be installed as near as is practicable to the emergency source of electrical power.
{b)
Where the emergency source of electrical power is a generator, the emergency switchboard s~all be located in the same space unless the operation of the emergency switchboard would thereby be impaired.
{c)
No accumulator battery fitted in accordance with this regulation shall be installed in the same space as the emergency switchboard. An indicator shall be mounted in a suitable place on the main switchboard or in the machinery control room to indicate when the batteries constituting either the emergency source of electrical power or the transitional source of electrical power referred to in paragraph {b) of sub-regulation (3} or sub-regulation (4} are being discharged.
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{d) The emergency switchboard shall be supplied during normal operation from the main switchboard by an interconnector feeder which is to be adequately protected at the main switchboard against overload and short circuit and which is to be disconnected automatically at the emergency switchboard upon failure of the main source of electrical power.
Where the system is arranged for feedback operation, the interconnector feeder is also to be protected at the emergency switchboard at least against short circuit.
{e}
In order to ensure ready availability of the emergency source of electrical power, arrangements shall be made where necessary to disconnect automatically non-emergency circuits from the emergency switchboard to ensure that electrical power shall be available automatically to the emergency circuits.
(6)
The emergency generator and its prime-mover and any emergency accumulator battery shall be so designed and arranged as to ensure that they will function at full rated power when the ship is upright and when inclined at any angle of list up to 22.5° or when inclined up to 10° either in the fore or aft direction, or is in any combination of angles within those limits.
(7)
Provision shall be made for the periodic testing of the complete emergency system and shall include the testing of automatic starting arrangements.
Starting arrangements for emergency generating sets.