What the standard is
IEC/IEEE 80005-1 covers high-voltage shore connection (HVSC) systems on board ship and ashore. Its published scope applies to the design, installation and testing of those systems. The current published text is based on the second edition from 2019, with amendments issued in 2022 and 2023.
Low-voltage shore connection is covered separately by IEC/IEEE 80005-3, published as a full standard in 2025 for ships requiring up to 1 MVA at berth. The published scope of Part 1 says high-voltage connection is expected to be practicable for ships requiring 1 MVA or more, or ships with a high-voltage main supply. The first edition in 2012 carried the joint designation IEC/ISO/IEEE 80005-1; the current edition is designated IEC/IEEE 80005-1.
Why it matters to an owner
A ship and a quay are often designed and built by different parties, years apart. A common interface standard is what allows those systems to be engineered to work together, which is also why it appears in regulation. The EU's Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation requires high-voltage shore-side electricity supply for seagoing ships to comply at least with IEC/IEEE 80005-1. FuelEU Maritime refers to the same technical specifications where it addresses incompatibility between shore and onboard equipment. Our guide to the 2030 shore power rules sets out the two regulations.
For an owner, the practical benefit is interoperability: designing the ship-side connection around the same technical framework used ashore reduces interface mismatch. It does not by itself guarantee that every berth will be compatible, so the vessel's trading pattern still has to be checked.
A simplified system view
Shore side
- Shore distribution system
- Frequency conversion, where grid and vessel differ
- Connection point and cable handling, where the terminal provides it
Ship side
- Shore connection switchboard
- Transformer, where fitted
- Shore incoming breaker at the main switchboard
- Vessel distribution system
Across both sides: control, monitoring, interlocking and power management
The published scope covers the high-voltage shore distribution system, the shore-to-ship connection and interface equipment, transformers and reactors, semiconductor and rotating frequency converters, the ship's distribution system, and the control, monitoring, interlocking and power management systems. The vessel-side retrofit touches several of those interfaces.
Where it reaches into the vessel
The connection and interface. The published scope covers both ship and shore and the interface between them. On the vessel, the connection equipment has to be compatible with the shore systems she is expected to use, including the relevant electrical interface and cable-handling arrangement. That is why the trading pattern is established early in the retrofit.
Transformers and the ship's distribution system. Where a transformer is needed, it sits alongside the shore incoming breaker and the changes required at the main switchboard. Fault level, protection and earthing are then checked for operation on shore supply as well as on generators. Our guide to shore power switchboard integration goes through that interface, and the board work is covered under switchboards and power distribution.
Control, monitoring, interlocking and power management. A shore connection is operated and supervised as a system. On the vessel that covers the sequence of connecting and disconnecting, the interlocks that prevent unsafe operation, shutdown in an emergency, and the way the power management system handles a source of limited capacity. On board it is automation and control work.
Installation and testing. The published scope covers installation and testing as well as design, so fitting the equipment is not the end of the job. Ship-side verification follows the sequence described under testing and commissioning. Final interface testing with a particular shore installation is carried out at the berth with the terminal.
What it does not settle
- Class and flag. Changes to the vessel's electrical installation are subject to the rules of her class society and flag administration. The standard's own scope notes that national administrations, the relevant authorities and the owners of shore systems may impose additional or alternative requirements.
- The load. The standard does not tell an owner how much power the vessel needs at berth. That comes from a load assessment.
- Low-voltage connections, which are outside part 1.
- Supply during docking. The scope excludes electrical power supply during dry docking and other out-of-service maintenance and repair periods.
- Whether a berth is equipped. The standard defines how ship and shore connect. It does not make a terminal ready by a given date.
Designing to it is not certifying to it
Orion Marine engineers and installs the ship-side electrical scope against the applicable shore-connection requirements, and prepares the relevant drawings and test records for review. We do not certify vessels or issue statements of compliance on behalf of a class society, flag administration or other authority. Approval and survey remain with the bodies responsible for them.
Frequently asked questions
- Is IEC/IEEE 80005-1 mandatory?
- A standard is not law in itself. It becomes binding where a regulation, a class rule, a port or a contract calls it up. In the EU, the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation names it as the minimum technical specification for high-voltage shore-side electricity supply to seagoing ships. Elsewhere the answer depends on the port and on the vessel's class and flag.
- Does it apply to a low-voltage shore connection?
- No. Part 1 covers high-voltage connections. Low-voltage shore connection is covered by IEC/IEEE 80005-3.
- Which edition should a retrofit be designed to?
- Use the edition called up by the project specification, the vessel's class requirements and the shore systems she is expected to use. At the time of writing, the current publication is based on the second edition (2019) with 2022 and 2023 amendments, and a revision is in preparation. The reference should therefore be confirmed at the start of each project.
For the whole scope of a conversion, from berth load to commissioning, see what an AMP retrofit involves.