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Navigation Lights

The U.S. Coast Guard is issuing a safety alert about unapproved and uncertified navigation lights being sold for recreational and commercial vessels. Navigation lights must meet technical standards to be properly visible and distinguishable. Decorative lights could violate navigation light rules if they are mistaken for regulation lights or impair visibility of regulation lights. Boat owners should only purchase navigation lights that display certification information and comply with international and domestic navigation light regulations.

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183 views

Navigation Lights

The U.S. Coast Guard is issuing a safety alert about unapproved and uncertified navigation lights being sold for recreational and commercial vessels. Navigation lights must meet technical standards to be properly visible and distinguishable. Decorative lights could violate navigation light rules if they are mistaken for regulation lights or impair visibility of regulation lights. Boat owners should only purchase navigation lights that display certification information and comply with international and domestic navigation light regulations.

Uploaded by

David Durham
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Inspections and Compliance Directorate

November 4, 2015
Washington, DC

Safety Alert 10-15

NAVIGATION LIGHTS
The rules are for your safety!
The U.S. Coast Guard is concerned about the sale and
availability of unapproved recreational and commercial
vessel navigation lights. Purchasers of such lighting
should be aware replacement lighting may be improper for
its application due to the failure by manufacturers to meet
technical certification requirements. Furthermore, technical
advances in marine lighting, such as the use of Light
Emitting Diodes (LEDs), rope lighting, underwater lighting,
and other various types of decorative lighting, may violate
navigation light provisions of the Nautical Rules of the
Road.

LEDs under rub rail surrounding vessel.

The requirements for all navigation lights aboard vessels are prescribed in Rules 20, 21, 22 and Annex I of
the Rules of the Road, which is the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions
at Sea (72 COLREGS) or the Inland Navigation Rules (33 CFR Subchapter E).
Specifications for lights vary depending upon the type of vessel but regardless of the light source (i.e., incandescent filament or LED):

Recreational vessel and uninspected commercial vessel navigation lights must meet American
Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC) standard A-16, in accordance with specifications within 33 CFR
183.810 and 46 CFR 25.10-3, respectively.
Commercial inspected vessels must be outfitted with navigation lights that meet or exceed Underwriters Laboratories standard UL 1104, as stated in the specifications of 46 CFR 111.75 -17.

Some manufacturers are producing and distributing navigation lights that do not meet the certification
requirements indicated above. These lights are typically less expensive, making them a tempting
choice for uninformed consumers. Use of lights that do not provide the proper chromaticity, luminous
intensity, or cut-off angles could result in the issuance of a notice of violation or potentially cause an
accident. Recreational boaters should ensure each purchased navigation light contains the following
information on the light or its packaging:
USCG Approval 33 CFR 183.810
MEETS ABYC A-16 or equivalent
TESTED BY (an approved laboratory)
Name of the light manufacturer
Number of Model
Visibility of the light in nautical miles
Date on which the light was type-tested
Identification and specification of the bulb used in the compliance test.

SAFETY ALERT 10-15

Boaters should be concerned about installing decorative lighting on their boats in various places,
including underwater, on the rubrail, or just above the
waterline. Care must be taken that these lights:
cannot be mistaken for navigation lights,
do not impair the visibility or distinctive character
of approved and properly placed navigation
lights, and
do not interfere with the operators ability to
maintain a proper lookout. Such circumstances
may represent a violation of Rule 20.

LEDs under rub rail surrounding vessel.

Rule 20 specifies that only those lights prescribed, or those that dont interfere with those prescribed, may
be used. Haphazard installation of additional lighting must be avoided. A violation can occur if the
installation of additional lights can be construed as a light required by the Rules for another vessel. For
instance, blue underwater LED lights can appear to be flashing if there is any wave action, giving the appearance of a flashing blue light only authorized to be used by law enforcement vessels per 33 CFR 88.05.
Rule 21 provides the definitions for the masthead
light, sidelights, sternlight, towing light, all-round
lights or task lights, and flashing or special flashing
lights. Task lights are those lights which place the
vessel in a special condition (e.g., all-round red over
white over red for a vessel with restricted
maneuverability).
Rule 22 provides for the intensity requirements of
each light, per vessel size, so that they may be seen
at a minimum range.
Annex I of the Rules, specifies the vertical and horizontal spacing of each of the required lights both in
relation to the vessel hull and with respect to other
navigation lights. Compliance with the provisions of
Annex I ensures the light is properly mounted for its intended purpose. The proper installation of any light
is critical to it being U.S. Coast Guard Approved, as required by Annex I (COLREGs, paragraph 14 and
Inland, 33 CFR 84.20).

Basic navigation lights required by most vessels including the arc


of visibility of each of the lights. Exact placement aboard the vessel
depends upon size and design but must be in accordance with
Annex I of the Rules (33 CFR 84).

The Coast Guard strongly recommends that:

boaters avoid purchase and installation of any light that does not present the required certification
data, and
retailers advise their customers to purchase certified navigation lights.

This Safety Alert is provided for informational purposes only and does not relieve any domestic or
international safety, operational, or material requirement. This Alert has been developed by the U.S.
Coast Guards Headquarters Offices of Navigation Systems, Auxiliary and Boating Safety, and Investigations and Casualty Analysis. For questions or concerns, please email [email protected].

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