Code of Federal Regulations Title 46. Shipping § 46.28.865 Wiring methods and materials

(a) All cable and wire must have insulated, stranded copper conductors of the appropriate size and voltage rating of the circuit.

(b) Each conductor must be No. 22 AWG or larger. Conductors in power and lighting circuits must be No. 14 AWG or larger. Conductors must be sized so that the voltage drop at the load terminals is not more than 10 percent.

(c) Cable and wiring not serving equipment in high risk fire areas such as a galley, laundry, or machinery space must be routed as far as practicable from these spaces. As far as practicable, cables serving duplicated essential equipment must be separated so that a casualty that affects one cable does not affect the other. Existing cables and wires may remain as routed;  however, any replacement wiring, new cabling and/or alterations must be routed as specified above.

(d) No unused or dead ended cables may remain after the permanent removal or alteration of an electrical device.

(e) Cable and wire for power and lighting circuits must:

(f) All metallic cable armor must be electrically continuous and grounded to the metal hull or the common ground point at each end of the cable run, except that final sub-circuits (those supplying loads) may be grounded at the supply end only.

(g) Wiring terminations and connections must be made in a fire retardant enclosure such as a junction box, fixture enclosure, or panel enclosure.

(h) Existing cable and wire may remain in place and continue in use as long as it is deemed serviceable to the satisfaction of the Coast Guard Representative. Any new installation, replacement, modification or alteration must be done in accordance with the requirements of this section.