Regulation 30
Additional Requirements for Electric and Electrohydraulic Steering Gear
of Merchant Shipping (Safety Convention) Regulations
( a ) Means for indicating that the motors of electric and electrohydraulic steering gear are running shall be installed on the navigating bridge and at a suitable main machinery control position. ( b ) Each electric or electrohydraulic steering gear comprising one or more power units shall be served by at least two exclusive circuits fed directly from the main switchboard; however, one of the circuits may be supplied through the emergency switchboard. An auxiliary electric or electrohydraulic steering gear associated with a main electric or electrohydraulic steering gear may be connected to one of the circuits supplying this main steering gear. The circuits supplying an electric or electrohydraulic steering gear shall have adequate rating for supplying all motors which can be simultaneously connected to them and may be required to operate simultaneously. ( c ) Short circuit protection and an overload alarm shall be provided for such circuits and motors. Protection against excess current, including starting current, if provided, shall be for not less than twice the full load current of the motor or circuit so protected, and shall be arranged to permit the passage of the appropriate starting currents. Where a 3-phase supply is used an alarm shall be provided that will indicate failure of any one of the supply phases. The alarms required in this paragraph shall be both audible and visual and shall be situated in a conspicuous position in the main machinery space or control room from which the main machinery is normally controlled and as may be required by Regulation 51. ( d ) When in a ship of less than 1,600 tons an auxiliary steering gear which is required by sub-paragraph ( d )(iii) of Regulation 29 to be operated by power is not electrically powered or is powered by an electric motor primarily intended for other services, the main steering gear may be fed by one circuit from the main switchboard. Where such an electric motor primarily intended for other services is arranged to power such an auxiliary steering gear, the requirement of paragraph ( c ) may be waived by the Director if he is satisfied with the protection arrangement together with the requirements of paragraph ( e ) and sub-paragraph ( g )(iii) of Regulation 29 applicable to auxiliary steering gear.