When cable is specified for a vessel, the class rule arrives before the datasheet. The classification society assigned to the hull decides which constructions are acceptable, which tests have to be witnessed and which certificate has to be on file before the cable is installed. Understanding how that approval is scoped is the difference between a cable that passes survey and one that is rejected at the quayside.
Why classification society approval matters for marine cable
Major societies including ABS (American Bureau of Shipping), BV (Bureau Veritas), DNV and LR (Lloyd’s Register) each publish rules governing cable construction, testing and marking for marine service. Those rules are built on the IEC 60092 series, but they are not identical to it: a society may add a flame test, tighten a sheath requirement or require a particular marking format.
The practical consequence is that a cable built to IEC 60092-353 is not automatically approved for a particular vessel. It has to be covered by a type approval held by the manufacturer and accepted by the society assigned to that project.
What type approval actually covers
Type approval certifies that a specific construction — conductor class, insulation compound, screen, armour, sheath and overall dimensions — has been tested against the society’s rules. The approval is scoped to that construction, not to the product family.
In practice that means:
- An approval for a 0.6/1kV EPR power cable does not extend to a 26/35kV XLPE construction.
- Changing the sheath from SHF2 to LSZH normally requires a separate approval entry.
- Adding steel wire armour changes the construction and therefore the scope.
When you request certificates, ask for the approval document rather than a brochure page, and check that the construction named in the document matches the cable on your purchase order.
Matching the approval to the project
For a newbuilding, the society assigned to the vessel dictates which approvals are acceptable. For an offshore project, the operator or the EPC contractor usually specifies the required society in the technical requirements, and it may differ from the one assigned to the vessel. For a repair or refit, the existing certificate file for the vessel normally governs.
Confirm the requirement before the order is placed. Retro-fitting an approval after delivery means the cable is already on site and, in most cases, already cut.
The standards behind the approval
- IEC 60092-353 — power cables for shipboard installations up to 0.6/1kV
- IEC 60092-354 — extruded solid insulated power cables from 6kV to 30kV
- IEC 60092-375 — control and instrumentation cables
- IEC 60092-373 — communication cables
- IEC 60092-359 — sheathing compounds, including the mud-resistance route to NEK 606
- IEC 60332-3 — bunched flame propagation
- IEC 60754 and IEC 61034 — halogen gas and smoke density
What to ask a supplier for
A reliable marine cable supplier should provide three things with a quotation: the type approval certificate covering the exact construction, the batch test report format that will be issued with production, and a statement of which society issued the approval and when it expires. If any of those is missing, the approval position is unconfirmed.
For power cable, see the marine power cable range; for control and instrumentation, the shielded marine control cable pages describe the construction options in detail.
If you need certificate copies for project pre-qualification, send us the construction and the society and we will confirm what is available before you place the order.
Type approval is issued to a construction, not to a factory, so the approved design has to be named on the order. In practice that means ordering the 0.6/1kV EPR insulated marine power cable, the shielded marine control cable or the offshore platform mud-resistant cable with the certificate number quoted against the line item.