Testing and Certification for Navigation Lights and Marine Lighting Products

Navigation light requirements vary depending on vessel type, size, operating environment, and intended market. Manufacturers must consider more than basic electrical safety. Products may also need to demonstrate the required luminous intensity, chromaticity, horizontal and vertical visibility, resistance to vibration and shock, environmental durability, and protection against water ingress and corrosion.

Intertek works with manufacturers to identify applicable requirements early in product development and establish a testing program based on the intended vessel and market.

• 33 CFR Part 83 – Inland Navigation Rules
• 33 CFR Part 84 – Annex I: Positioning and Technical Details of Lights and Shapes
• 46 CFR §111.75-17 – Navigation Lights
• International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS 72)
• ABYC A-16 – Installation of Electric Navigation Lights
• ABYC C-5 – Construction and Testing of Electric Navigation Lights
• IEC 60068-2-27 – Environmental Testing – Mechanical Shock
• IEC 60529 – Degrees of Protection Provided by Enclosures (IP Code)
• IEC 60945 – Maritime Navigation and Radiocommunication Equipment and Systems
• RTCM Standard 13700.0 – Navigation Lights

ABYC C-5 provides requirements for the construction and testing of electric navigation lights used on vessels. Its acceptance by the U.S. Coast Guard as an equivalent pathway to UL 1104 gives navigation light manufacturers another route for demonstrating compliance with applicable federal requirements.

For manufacturers developing new LED navigation lights or updating existing product families, Intertek can help determine the appropriate testing and certification pathway based on product design and intended application.

Marine lighting products operate in environments that can be significantly more demanding than conventional lighting applications. Products may be continuously exposed to moisture, salt spray, vibration, temperature extremes, ultraviolet radiation, and mechanical stress.

Intertek combines its lighting performance capabilities with environmental and mechanical testing to evaluate how navigation lights perform under these conditions.

Where multiple standards apply, manufacturers may also be able to coordinate testing within a single compliance program, helping reduce duplicated testing and streamline product development.

Intertek provides marine lighting testing through laboratories accredited to ISO/IEC 17025, including accreditation by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) for applicable testing scopes.

As a U.S. Coast Guard accepted laboratory, Intertek supports manufacturers seeking to demonstrate compliance with applicable USCG navigation lighting requirements.

Intertek has been testing lighting technologies for more than a century, with lighting expertise dating back to Electrical Testing Laboratories and the earliest commercial electric lighting technologies. Today, Intertek provides safety, performance, environmental, and certification services for lighting manufacturers around the world.

For marine and maritime lighting manufacturers, Intertek offers:

• S. Coast Guard accepted laboratory capabilities
• ISO/IEC 17025 accredited testing
• Optical and photometric expertise
• Environmental and mechanical testing
• EMC testing
• North American and international standards expertise
• Support from prototype development through certification
• Access to Intertek's global network of testing and certification resources