Which condition describes 'cold iron' in ship operations?

Which condition describes 'cold iron' in ship operations?

• A. All fuel systems online
• B. An external power source connected
• C. No fuel flowing to generators, propulsion boilers, or main engines
• D. All auxiliary machinery running

Answer: (C)

Cold iron describes a ship kept in port without burning fuel in its own power-generating equipment. The ship is supported by an external power source, so staff can run essential services without using onboard generators, propulsion boilers, or main engines. That’s the defining condition: no fuel is flowing to those major systems, even though power may be supplied from outside. Having all fuel systems online or all auxiliary machinery running would imply onboard fuel use, which isn’t the case in this setup, and simply noting an external power source doesn’t fully capture the lack of onboard fuel consumption.

Cold iron describes a ship kept in port without burning fuel in its own power-generating equipment. The ship is supported by an external power source, so staff can run essential services without using onboard generators, propulsion boilers, or main engines. That’s the defining condition: no fuel is flowing to those major systems, even though power may be supplied from outside. Having all fuel systems online or all auxiliary machinery running would imply onboard fuel use, which isn’t the case in this setup, and simply noting an external power source doesn’t fully capture the lack of onboard fuel consumption.