Problems of power quality in the wake of ship technology development

This paper addresses the problem of electrical power quality and its influence on ship safety. There has been a perceptible increase in the importance of power quality in recent years due to the introduction of new methods for electrical energy production and utilization in ship systems. As a result, new challenges for ship designers, crew members, and ship classification societies are looming. In this paper, these challenges are considered in the context of their legal meaning and good engineering practice. The paper presents the authors' stance in the ongoing discussion ensuing after the accident on board the Queen Mary 2. The authors briefly discuss the following questions: How is it possible to describe the power quality in ship systems and by what indexes? What limiting values are to be imposed? How, when and where should the power quality be measured? Finally, how can the rules and procedures of ship classification societies related to power quality be improved to avoid catastrophic consequences of worsening power quality? (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.