Annex - Guidlines on the Configuration of the Reserve Source or Sources of Energy Used to Supply Radio Installation on GMDSS Ships
Clasification Society 2024 - Version 9.40
Statutory Documents - IMO Publications and Documents - Circulars - Radiocommunication and Search and Rescue - COMSAR/Circ.16 - Guidelines on the Configuration of the Reserve Source or Sources of Energy Used to Supply Radio Installations on GMDSS Ships - (4 March 1998) - Annex - Guidlines on the Configuration of the Reserve Source or Sources of Energy Used to Supply Radio Installation on GMDSS Ships

Annex - Guidlines on the Configuration of the Reserve Source or Sources of Energy Used to Supply Radio Installation on GMDSS Ships

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 The radio reserve source or sources of energy should meet the requirements set out in regulation IV/13 of SOLAS 1974, as amended, and in IMO resolutions A.694(17) and A.702(17), as applicable, and should also comply with the following requirements.

1.2 The configuration of such reserve sources of energy could comply with recommendations of annexes 1, 2 and 3 of these guidelines, as applicable.

2 GENERAL

2.1 Where the reserve source or sources of energy consists of rechargeable accumulator batteries, the arrangement may consist either of batteries used solely in the absence of ships supply of electrical energy (see paragraph 3) or of batteries used in an uninterruptable power supply (UPS) configuration (see paragraph 4).

2.2 Only equipment specified in regulation IV/13 of SOLAS 1974, as amended, and paragraphs 2.1.1 and 2.1.2 of the annex to resolution A.702(17) may be connected to the reserve source or sources of energy.

2.3 Any ship's navigational or other equipment providing to the radio installation an input of information, which is needed to ensure its proper performance, should be connected to the ship's main and emergency supply and to the reserve source of energy to ensure an uninterruptable input of information.

2.4 To determine the electrical load to be supplied by the reserve source of energy for each radio installation required for distress conditions, the following formula should be applied:

  • ˝ of the current consumption necessary for transmission

  • + the current consumption for reception

  • + the current consumption of any additional loads.

2.5 If a manual change-over switch is provided in the configuration, this switch should be clearly marked and readily accessible to the operator.

3 BATTERIES USED SOLELY IN THE ABSENCE OF SHIP´S SUPPLY

3.1 A single battery may be provided for the radio installation specified in regulations IV/13.2, 13.4, 13.5, and 13.8 of SOLAS 1974, as amended. The capacity of the battery should be sufficient for the load determined in paragraph 2.4 in compliance with the requirements of regulations IV/13.2 and 13.4 of SOLAS 1974, as amended, taking in consideration duplication equipment when provided.

3.2 The charging current of the automatic battery charger should be sufficient to comply with regulation IV/13.6.1 for the load determined in paragraph 2.4 (see annex 2, paragraph 2.1).

3.3 The supply lines from the battery distribution panel to each radio installation of both the basic and the duplication equipment should be independent and fused separately.

3.4 In case of interruption of the ship´s supply, as well as upon its recovery, the change-over between the radio reserve source of energy and the ship´s supply may be manual or automatic.

3.5 The change-over between the ship´s supply and the radio reserve source of energy should not require any of the equipment connected to it to be re-initialized manually and should not result in the loss of data stored in memory.

3.6 Any fault in the battery or battery charger should not impair or reduce the functional availability of any GMDSS equipment while energised from the ship´s supply.

4 BATTERIES USED IN AN UNINTERRUPTABLE POWER SUPPLY (UPS) CONFIGURATION

4.1 A single UPS may be provided for the radio installation specified in regulations IV/13.2, 13.4, 13.5 and 13.8 of SOLAS 1974, as amended. The UPS should comply with the load determined in paragraph 2.4 and the requirements of regulations IV/13.2, 13.4 and 13.6 of SOLAS 1974, as amended, taking into consideration duplication equipment when provided.

4.2 To provide for a failure of the single UPS, a second UPS or means for direct supplying the radio installation from ship´s main or emergency supply should be installed and be available permanently.

4.3 The change-over to the second UPS or to the ship's supplies may be manual or automatic.

4.4 This change-over should not require any of the equipment connected to it to be re-initialized manually and should not result in the loss of data stored in memory.

4.5 The capacity of the battery charger or chargers used in the UPS configuration should be sufficient to comply with regulation IV/13.6.1 for the load determined in paragraph 2.4 and that all equipment connected can be operated.

For guidance, the following may be used for determining the nominal current of the charger:

  • 1/10 of the current consumption necessary for transmission

  • + the current consumption for reception

  • + the current consumption of any additional loads

  • + the nominal charging current of the battery.

4.6 The supply lines from the UPS output to each radio installation of both the basic and the duplication equipment should be independent and fused separately.

5 ALARMS AND INDICATORS

Provision should be made for an aural alarm and visual indication at the position from which the ship is normally navigated, indicating an interruption of the ship's supply. It should not be possible to disable this alarm and indication. It should only be possible to acknowledge and silence the alarm manually. Both the alarm condition and indication should reset automatically when the ship's supply has been restored.

Parent topic: COMSAR/Circ.16 - Guidelines on the Configuration of the Reserve Source or Sources of Energy Used to Supply Radio Installations on GMDSS Ships - (4 March 1998)
Copyright 2022 Clasifications Register Group Limited, International Maritime Organization, International Labour Organization or Maritime and Coastguard Agency. All rights reserved. Clasifications Register Group Limited, its affiliates and subsidiaries and their respective officers, employees or agents are, individually and collectively, referred to in this clause as 'Clasifications Register'. Clasifications Register assumes no responsibility and shall not be liable to any person for any loss, damage or expense caused by reliance on the information or advice in this document or howsoever provided, unless that person has signed a contract with the relevant Clasifications Register entity for the provision of this information or advice and in that case any responsibility or liability is exclusively on the terms and conditions set out in that contract.