Section 4 Machinery Controls

401. General

Main and auxiliary machinery essential for the propulsion of the unit are to be provided with ef- fective means for its operation and control. All control systems essential for the propulsion, control and safety of the unit are to be independent or designed such that failure of one system does not degrade the performance of another system. A pitch indicator is to be provided on the navigating bridge for controllable-pitch propellers.

402. Control of propulsion machinery

1. Where remote control of propulsion machinery from the navigating bridge is provided and the ma- chinery spaces are intended to be manned, the following is to be apply:

(1) the speed, direction of thrust and, if applicable, the pitch of the propeller is to be fully control- lable from the navigating bridge under all sailing conditions, including manoeuvring;

(2) the remote control is to be performed, for each independent propeller, by a control device so designed and constructed that its operation does not require particular attention to the operational details of the machinery. Where more than one propeller is designed to operate simultaneously,

these propellers may be controlled by one control device;

(3) the main propulsion machinery is to be provided with an emergency stopping device navigating bridge and independent from the bridge control system;

(4) propulsion machinery orders from the navigating bridge is to be indicated in the main nery control station or at the manoeuvring platform as appropriate;

(5) remote control of the propulsion machinery is to be possible from only one station at a

on the machi-

time;at

one control station interconnected control units are permitted. There is to be at each station an

indicator showing which station is in control of the propulsion machinery. The transfer of con- trol between navigating bridge and machinery spaces is to be possible only in the machinery

space or machinery control room;

(6) it is to be possible to control the propulsion machinery locally, even in the case of failure in any part of the remote control system;

(7) the design of the remote control system is to be such that in case of its failure an alarm will be given and the preset speed and direction of thrust be maintained until local control is in op-

eration, unless the Society considers it impracticable;

(8) indicators are to be fitted on the navigating bridge for:

(A) propeller speed and direction in case of fixed-pitch propellers

(B) propeller speed and pitch position in case of controllable-pitch propellers;

(9) an alarm should be provided at the navigating bridge and in the machinery space to indicate

low starting air pressure set at a level which still permits main engine starting operations. If the remote control system of the propulsion machinery is designed for automatic starting, the num-

ber of automatic consecutive attempts which fail to produce a start should be limited to safe- guard sufficient starting air pressure for starting locally;and

(10) automation systems should be designed in a manner which ensures a threshold warning of im- pending or imminent slowdown or shutdown of the propulsion system is given to the officer in charge of the navigational watch in time to assess navigational circumstances in an emergency. In particular, the systems should control, monitor, report, alert and take safety action to slow down or stop propulsion while providing the officer in charge of the navigational watch an op- portunity to manually intervene, except for those cases where manual intervention will result in total failure of the engine and/or propulsion equipment within a short time, for example in the case of overspeed.

2. Where the main propulsion and associated machinery including sources of main electrical supply are provided with various degrees of automatic or remote control and are under continuous manned su-

pervision from a control room, this control room should be designed, equipped and installed so that the machinery operation will be as safe and effective as if it were under direct supervision;for this

purpose sections Ch 9, Sec 2 to Sec 4 and Sec 5, 501. are to apply as appropriate. Particular consideration is to be given to protection against fire and flooding.