46 CFR § 169.683 - Overcurrent protection, general.

(a) Overcurrent protection must be provided for each ungrounded conductor for the purpose of opening the electric circuit if the current reaches a value that causes an excessive or dangerous temperature in the conductor or conductor insulation.

(b) Disconnect means must be provided on the supply side of and adjacent to all fuses for the purpose of deenergizing the fuses for inspection and maintenance purposes. All disconnect means must open all ungrounded conductors of the circuit simultaneously.

(c) Each conductor, including a generator lead and shore power cable, must be protected in accordance with its current-carrying capacity.

(d) If the allowable current-carrying capacity of a conductor does not correspond to a standard size fuse, the next larger size or rating may be used but not exceeding 150 percent of the allowable current-carrying capacity of the conductor.

(e) Plug (screw in type) fuses and fuseholders must not be used in circuits exceeding 125 volts between conductors. The screw shell of plug type fuseholders must be connected to the load of the circuit. Edison base fuses may not be used.

(f) If the allowable current-carrying capacity of the conductor does not correspond to a standard rating of circuit breakers, the next larger rating not exceeding 150 percent of the allowable current-carrying capacity of the conductor may be used.

(g) Lighting branch circuits must be protected against overcurrent either by fuses or circuit breakers rated at not more than 20 amperes.

(h) Each circuit breaker must be of the manually reset type designed for—

(1) Inverse time delay;

(2) Instantaneous short circuit protection; and

(3) Repeated opening of the circuit in which it is to be used without damage to the circuit breaker.

(i) Circuit breakers must indicate whether they are in the open or closed position.

(j) Devices such as instruments, pilot lights, ground detector lights, potential transformers, etc. must be supplied by circuits protected by overcurrent devices.

(k) Each generator must be protected with an overcurrent device set at a value not exceeding 15 percent above the full-load rating for continuous rated machines or the overload rating for special rated machines.