Naval Dockyard

We work closely with in-house project management teams as well as external installation contractors to ensure each project runs efficiently and meets the demanding levels of performance and safety the marine environment demands.

One such project carried out involved the distribution of a single incoming source to be used in the dockside service of more than one vessel. To add to the challenge the area for installation was limited in terms of surface area, therefore our team decided to utilise the ample head room available when designing the solutions for this project.

To begin with our design team worked on the transformer / distribution panel where the incoming source would be. Here a 2.5MVA 6.6kV transformer was used to a twin ACB feeder cabinet. This then fed two 2000A manual interlock changeovers with site familiar Castel safety key system and 4 Busbar cable connection chambers, which was the second part of the design process. Once the design was completed in 3D a virtual tour of the product was produced and presented to all parties concerned to ensure the optimum solution was being provided.

The combination of the interlocked changeover switch with the Castel key system means that unless the switch is in the off position and the Castel key in hand the live electrical components cannot be accessed. This then allows the electrical engineer to access the Busbar connection system knowing all is safe. The 4 cable connection chambers can then be used in a variety of ways. If a ship is requiring full running power, then 2 connections would be needed for each. The power supply is cut in half with one feeding the forward and one feeding the rear of the ship, meaning the system can fully power 2 ships. If power is only needed to run auxiliary systems, then only one connection is needed to power the whole vessel, meaning the system can power up to 4 ships on auxiliary power or a combination of this.

This project was delivered on time, able to be assembled and connected quickly on site and above all our clients expectations were exceeded.