What Port State Control actually enforces
Introduction – SOLAS is not abstract law
SOLAS electrical rules are often treated as “design-stage requirements”. In reality, Port State Control enforces them operationally, years after delivery.
When PSC inspects electrical systems, they are not checking theory. They are checking:
- availability
- segregation
- automatic operation
- evidence of testing
If power fails when it shouldn’t, SOLAS has already been breached.
Core SOLAS electrical obligations every ETO must know
SOLAS Chapter II-1 — Electrical Installations
This chapter is the legal backbone of shipboard power.
Key obligations include:
🔹 Regulation 42 — Main Source of Electrical Power
Requires:
- sufficient capacity for all normal operations
- redundancy appropriate to ship type
- ability to operate essential services simultaneously
Failure mode PSC looks for:
- generators unable to carry load after maintenance
- degraded insulation or derating not accounted for
🔹 Regulation 43 — Emergency Source of Electrical Power
Requires:
- independent emergency generator or batteries
- automatic start and connection
- location outside main machinery spaces
- minimum endurance (typically 18–36 hours, ship-dependent)
PSC tests this physically — not on paper.
🔹 Regulation 44 — Starting Arrangements
Requires:
- emergency generator start capability under dead ship conditions
- independent energy source (battery, air, hydraulic)
Common failure:
- flat start batteries
- disabled auto-start
- undocumented manual intervention
🔹 Regulation 45 — Precautions Against Shock & Fire
Requires:
- insulation monitoring
- earthing integrity
- segregation of emergency circuits
- protection against overload and short-circuit
This is where IEC 60092 compliance is legally anchored.
Emergency power: where ships get detained
Emergency systems must:
- start automatically
- feed emergency switchboard
- supply:
- emergency lighting
- fire detection
- communications
- navigation aids
- control power
Manual start “because it works” is not compliant.
🔻 Real-World Case: PSC Detention — Emergency Generator Failure (Bulk Carrier, Rotterdam 2021)
During PSC inspection, the emergency generator of a bulk carrier failed to auto-start during a simulated blackout.
Findings:
- batteries degraded
- weekly tests logged but ineffective
- crew unaware of failure mode
Result:
- immediate detention
- Class condition of class
- company safety management audit
No fire. No accident.
Still a detention.
SOLAS does not wait for incidents.
Segregation: the invisible requirement
SOLAS requires:
- emergency circuits physically separated
- fire or flooding in one space must not disable both main and emergency power
ETO trap:
- cable rerouting during modifications
- undocumented penetrations
- shared trays “temporarily”
PSC inspectors look for this visually.
Documentation is part of compliance
SOLAS compliance includes:
- correct single line diagrams
- emergency load lists
- test records
- crew familiarity
If documentation does not match reality, compliance is assumed broken.
Knowledge to Carry Forward
SOLAS electrical rules are enforced in operation, not just in design.
If:
- emergency power doesn’t auto-start
- segregation is compromised
- crew can’t explain the system
…the ship is already non-compliant.
A professional ETO treats SOLAS as live law, not background theory.
Tags
ETO, SOLAS Electrical Requirements, Emergency Generator, Port State Control, Marine Electrical Compliance, Class Inspection