Owning a boat comes with many responsibilities, one of which is ensuring your vessel is safe and compliant with all applicable regulations. One of the key components of keeping your boat safe is undergoing regular navigation light inspections. Navigation lights are essential for any boat that is out in the open water, and it's important to know what kind of inspections you need to keep them up and running. In this article, we'll discuss everything you need to know about navigation light inspections, so you can keep your vessel safe and compliant.
Navigation Light Inspections
are an essential part of any boat safety inspection.They help ensure the safety of the vessel and all those onboard by alerting other vessels to its presence and the direction in which it is travelling. Navigation lights also help to prevent collisions and accidents on the water. Navigation lights are required on all vessels that are powered by internal combustion engines or that are longer than 12 meters in length. The lights must be visible at a distance of three miles, depending on the size of the vessel.
There are several types of navigation lights that are typically used, including a green port side light, a red starboard side light, a white stern light, and a white masthead light. Each type of navigation light has specific requirements for size, colour, position, and orientation. During a navigation light inspection, these requirements must be checked to ensure that the vessel is in compliance with maritime regulations. It is important to properly inspect navigation lights for several reasons. First, it helps ensure that other vessels can easily spot the vessel and determine its direction of travel.
This helps to reduce the risk of collisions and other accidents on the water. Second, if the navigation lights do not meet legal requirements, the vessel's operator can be fined or even lose their licence. Finally, properly functioning navigation lights can help the vessel's operator avoid fines from law enforcement agencies or other government bodies. When inspecting navigation lights, it is important to check the size, colour, position, and orientation of each light.
The size and colour requirements for each type of navigation light vary based on the size of the vessel, so it is important to check the regulations for the specific vessel being inspected. Additionally, the position and orientation of each light must be checked to ensure that it is visible from all directions. For example, the green port side light must be visible from between 112.5° and 135° off the bow of the vessel. Finally, it is important to check that each navigation light is functioning properly.
This means checking that all bulbs are working and that each light is turned on when required. When checking bulbs, it is important to note that some bulbs may need to be replaced more often than others due to their position or orientation on the vessel. Navigation light inspections are an important part of any boat safety inspection. Properly functioning navigation lights help ensure that the vessel is visible to other vessels on the water and that it meets legal requirements.
It is important to check the size, colour, position, and orientation of each navigation light as well as its functioning bulbs when conducting a navigation light inspection.
