GUIDELINES ON THE CONFIGURATION OF THE RESERVE SOURCE OR SOURCES OF ENERGY USED TO SUPPLY RADIO INSTALLATIONS ON GMDSS SHIPS
requirements set out in Regulation 4/13/ of the 1974 Safety of Life at
Sea (SOLAS) Convention, as amended, concerning the reserve source or
sources of energy used to supply radio installations on GMDSS ships
should meet the following requirements:
1. There shall be available at all times, while the ship is
at sea, a supply of electrical energy sufficient to operate the radio
installations and to charge any batteries used as part of a reserve
source or sources of energy for the radio installations.
2. A reserve source or sources of energy shall be provided
on every ship, to supply radio installations, for the purpose of
conducting distress and safety radio communications, in the event of
failure of the ship’s main and emergency sources of electrical power.
The reserve source or sources of energy shall be capable of
simultaneously operating the VHF radio installation, either MF radio
installation, MF/HF radio installation, MF/HF radio installation, or the
INMARSAT ship earth station for a period of at least:
a. One (1) hour, on ships constructed on after 1 February 1995;
b. One (1) hour, on ships constructed before February 1995, if a
self-contained emergency source of electrical power is provided; and
c. six (6) hours, on ships constructed before 1 February 1995, if
a self-contained emergency of source of electrical power is not
provided.
The reserve source or sources of energy need not supply independent
HF and MF radio installations HF and MF radio installations at the same
time.
3. The reserve source or sources of energy shall be
independent of the propelling power of the ship and the ship’s
electrical system.
4. The reserve source or sources of energy may be used to
supply the electrical lighting required to illuminate the radio controls
for operating all the radio installations.
5. Where a reserve source of energy consists of a rechargeable accumulator battery or batteries (Annex-A *):
a. means of automatically charging such batteries shall be
provided which shall be capable of recharging them to minimum capacity
requirements within 10 hours; andb. the capacity of the battery or batteries shall be checked
by fully discharging and recharging for a period of 10 hours, at
intervals not exceeding 12 months, when the ship is not at sea.
6. The sitting and installation of accumulator batteries
which provide a reserve source of energy shall be such as to ensure:
a. the highest degree of service;
b. a reasonable lifetime;
c. reasonable safety;
d. that battery temperatures remain within the manufacturer’s specifications whether under charge or idle; and
e. that when fully charged, the batteries will provide at least
the minimum required hours of operation under all weather conditions.
7. If an uninterrupted input of information from the ship’s
navigational or other equipment to a radio installation required in
radio communication is needed to ensure its proper performance, means
shall be provided to ensure the continuous supply of such information in
the event of failure of the ship’s main or emergency source of
electrical power.
This Circular takes effect immediately and supersedes any existing
NTC order, circular instruction or memorandum or part thereof which is
inconsistent herewith.
Adopted: 01 Mar. 2000
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(SGD.) JOSEPH A. SANTIAGO |
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(SGD.) NESTOR C. DACANAY |
(SGD.) AURELIO M. UMALI |