NVIC 02-79: Guide for aluminum bus bars on vessels

Last reviewed: October 14, 2026

This circular distributes a guide on using aluminum bus bars in shipboard installations. The guide covers design and assembly of switchboards, panelboards, and motor controllers. It is guidance, and it urges recipients to share it and encourage its recommended details.

Applies toThis Circular applies to vessels subject to salt atmospheres as well as vessels operating only in fresh water (Great Lakes, Western Rivers, etc).

What it says

  1. The circular distributes a guide that gives guidance on designing and assembling switchboards, panelboards, and motor controllers that use aluminum bus bars.

    “which provides guidance for the design and assembly of switch- boards, panelboards, and motor controllers utilizing aluminum bus bars”

  2. The circular applies to vessels subject to salt atmospheres and to vessels operating only in fresh water.

    “This Circular applies to vessels subject to salt atmospheres as well as vessels operating only in fresh water”

  3. For vessels operating only in fresh water, corrosion should have minimal effect, but the other problems the guide discusses are still relevant.

    “For vessels operating in fresh water only the corrosion aspect should have minimal effect, however, other problems discussed in the guide are relevant.”

  4. Marine and shore industrial experience shows that careful attention must be paid to materials, joint design, and quality control if unsatisfactory and unsafe installations are to be avoided.

    “careful attention must be paid to materials, joint design, and quality control, if unsatisfactory and unsafe installations are to be avoided.”

  5. The guide discusses corrosion, creep, oxide buildup, and thermal property differences between steel, copper, and aluminum. Its recommended design and assembly details should eliminate these problems if followed.

    “Design and assembly details are recommended which, if followed, should eliminate these problems.”

  6. The circular urges recipients to distribute the enclosed information and encourage use of the recommended design and assembly details.

    “Recipients are urged to distribute the enclosed information and encourage the use of the recommended design and assembly details.”

Common questions

What is NVIC 2-79 about?

It distributes a guide on using aluminum bus bars in shipboard installations. The guide covers the design and assembly of switchboards, panelboards, and motor controllers.

“which provides guidance for the design and assembly of switch- boards, panelboards, and motor controllers utilizing aluminum bus bars”

Does the aluminum bus bar guide apply to freshwater vessels?

Yes. The circular applies to vessels in salt atmospheres and to vessels operating only in fresh water.

“This Circular applies to vessels subject to salt atmospheres as well as vessels operating only in fresh water”

Will the aluminum bus bar guide be updated?

The circular anticipates that the guide will require modification as feedback is received. It says additional guidance will be issued as necessary.

“It is anticipated that this guide will require modification as feedback is received as a result of its application.”

The text of NVIC 02-79

U.S. Coast Guard, NVIC 02-79 (main body; enclosures not shown)

Aluminum Bus Bars

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION UNUTED STATES COAST GUARD U.S. Coast Guard (G-MMT-2) Washington, DC 20590 Phone: (202) 426-2160 NVIC 2-79 16 Mar 1979 NAVIGATION AND VESSEL INSPECTION CIRCULAR NO. 2-79 Subj: Aluminum Bus Bars

Aluminum Bus Bars — PURPOSE. The purpose of this Circular is to distribute a "Guide for the Use of Aluminum Bus

Bars in a Shipboard Installation," which provides guidance for the design and assembly of switch- boards, panelboards, and motor controllers utilizing aluminum bus bars. This Circular applies to vessels subject to salt atmospheres as well as vessels operating only in fresh water (Great Lakes, Western Rivers, etc). For vessels operating in fresh water only the corrosion aspect should have minimal effect, however, other problems discussed in the guide are relevant.

Aluminum Bus Bars — BACKGROUND. There has been an increase in the usage of aluminum as a bus bar material due

to the relative economics of copper and aluminum. Both marine and shore industrial experience has shown that careful attention must be paid to materials, joint design, and quality control, if unsatisfactory and unsafe installations are to be avoided.

Aluminum Bus Bars — DISCUSSION. Enclosure (1) is a guide which will help to obtain a satisfactory installation if

aluminum bus bars are utilized. The problems of corrosion, creep, and oxide buildup, as well as thermal properties differences between steel, copper, and aluminum are discussed. Design and assembly details are recommended which, if followed, should eliminate these problems.

Aluminum Bus Bars — ACTION. Recipients are urged to distribute the enclosed information and encourage the use of the

recommended design and assembly details. It is anticipated that this guide will require modification as feedback is received as a result of its application. Comments and suggestions are welcome and additional guidance will be issued as necessary. End: (1) Guide for the Use of Aluminum Bus Bars in a Shipboard Installation Bc: 5th only (20) extra Ce: Baltimore(75); San Francisco, Mobile, Guam, Pittsburgh, Providence, Norfolk(50), Galveston(30); Cleveland, Portland, OR(25); San Diego Savannah, Buffalo, Corpus Christi(20); Tampa,. Louisville, Detroit Toledo, Anchorage(15); Portland, ME, Duluth, Charleston, Huntington, Minneapolis-ST. Paul (Dubuque), San Juan (10) ; Juneau, Cincinnati, Memphis, Wilmington, Paducah, Albany(5) extra Cm: New Orleans(250); New York(200); Seattle(lO0); Houston(50); Terminal Is. (LA-LB), Philadelphia(40); St. Ignace(12) extra Em: New London(20); Milwaukee(15); Ludington(8) extra En: Ketchikan(S) extra, Yokahoma(3) extra CG-12

The plain-English explanation on this page was written with AI from the regulation text above and checked automatically before publishing: every quote appears in the text, every number comes from it, and a second model confirmed each statement adds nothing the text doesn't say. The regulation text governs. RegKnot is not affiliated with the U.S. Coast Guard.