World’s first Wheelmark approved battery driven navigation lights

Sweden-based Boatsystem Group announces that the battery powered navigation lights Navisafe now have been Wheelmark approved by RINA. This means that Navisafe now officially may be used on commercially classed vessels requiring navigation lights with a visual range of 2 nm. In other words, the red/green side lights and white stern lights or towing light may be used for any vessel under 50 meters of length and the white steaming light for any power driven vessel under 12 meters.

For owners of recreational vessels it is re-assuring to know that there is no doubt these battery powered navigation lights fulfil the stringent requirements for commercial ships and therefore are highly suitable and approved for pleasure vessels as well. Navisafe were originally designed for small crafts where a central power system with cables is considered unfeasible, typically on dinghies, rowing boats, RIB’s, SUPs and Jetskies. Thanks to their outstanding robust design and high quality they have also become extremely popular as a spare or temporary navlight on significantly larger vessels.

CEO Mattias Svensson comments: “Thanks to the recent Wheelmark approval, Navisafe may now officially be used as prime navlights on, for instance, commercially used RIBs and as spare on much larger commercial vessels. Any doubt whether these lights can replace expensive and complicated fixed installations have thus vanished.”

Product Manager Petter Svensson says: “Our hard work to get our battery powered navigation lights Wheelmark approved has taken years. This is finally a proof of the fact that an already very versatile navlight now also fulfils the stringent rules for commercial crafts.”

Omnidirectional red, green and white lights can also be combined to temporarily show situations such as Not Under Command, Engaged in Fishing, Pilot Crafts, Restricted In Manoeuvrability, Diving, Dredging etc. Some countries use the omnidirectional all-blue blinking Navisafe for law enforcement vessels. The omnidirectional white Navisafe light has various modes, of which one is the power-saving ambient light and another is a blinking emergency light, making it a good companion for life-rafts and Rescue vessels. Thanks to its watertightness the white light can also be used on partly submerged tows.

The 20m submergible 2nm omnidirectional white and the combined red/green/white Navisafe tricolour light are the first two models receiving the sought after Wheelmark approval and will be deliverable from stock in May. Battery time depends on the chosen arc (112.5°, 225° or 360°) as well as the capacity of the used AAA-sized batteries. Both standard alkaline batteries as well as USB-rechargeable 1.5V Lithium batteries may be used. Rechargeable 1.2V NiMH batteries are, however, not recommended due to the lower voltage.