Home / Offshore and maritime / Deck and ship lighting
On a working deck, the layout changes with every operation and the height of the working plane changes with the job. A luminaire that is well placed in port lights the wrong spot at sea. We design the lighting for the vessel as a whole: overlapping beams that stay uniform at every working height, with virtually no shadow, and without disturbing the bridge or the navigation lights.
200 lx
under the crane of the Bokalift 2, the level the standard requires at pump zones and life-saving appliances
0,70
uniformity over the height, from deck level to the working plane on the load
6 areas
calculated separately: deck, crane, walkways, transfer, life-saving appliances and yard
Bokalift 2, Boskalis: the entire working deck illuminated under the crane, with no dark areas
Almost every vessel we relight already had LED. The problem is rarely the luminaire and almost always the design. This is what we find.
| what we find on board | what it costs you | what we change |
|---|---|---|
| Spotlights with a narrow beam, chosen by lumens per luminaire | The deck is illuminated, the work surface is not, and at working height everything falls into shadow | Optics chosen per position, with beams that overlap rather than merely adjoin |
| Luminaires placed wherever a bracket fitted | Dark patches right where work is being done, and glare where nobody needs to look | A lighting design on the vessel drawing, calculated per operating setup |
| One setup for a ship that does five things | Every non-standard operation needs separate work lamps and extension cables across the deck | Zones that switch separately, with a layout that complies in every operating mode |
| Light shining into the bridge | The watch loses night vision and starts switching luminaires off, and then the deck works in the dark | Shielding and direction chosen so that the bridge and navigation lights remain unobstructed |
| Coated aluminum in a position that is permanently wet | Cable glands rusted through and water in the electronics within a few seasons | 316L on the wet positions, coated aluminum where possible |
The standard does not treat the deck as one plane. It distinguishes work areas, and on a vessel these sit close together with a threefold difference in light level. That is why a single row of luminaires along the railing is never the right answer.
The deck where work, stowage and sea fastening take place. The standard requires 150 lux on a pipe deck with a uniformity of 0.50. The difficulty is not the level but the height: in one operation the working plane is at deck level, in the next it is three meters higher on a shipping container or a reel.
Below and around the crane, vertical light counts as much as horizontal light, because the crane operator and the rigger must see the load and each other at every height. On the Bokalift 2 this work area reaches 125 meters above deck. This is where the beams must overlap and where stabilization makes the difference.
Suitable: Crane Light Stabilizer · Orca · Barracuda
The standard requires 100 lux on ladders, stairs, and walkways, measured on the treads and not on the deck below. Almost every existing installation we measure fails this requirement, because the light comes from above and the tread sits in its own shadow.
Suitable: LED work lights · Snapper
Stepping on or off a vessel is the most dangerous operation on board. The standard requires 100 lux and a glare limit of 50 here, because the person transferring looks up and at the water at the same time. Include the water surface too: the standard lists a separate 30 lux for it.
At the lifeboats and the muster station the standard requires 200 lux. That is the highest level on the open deck, and it applies whether or not work is done there every day. It is the first item checked during an inspection.
When the vessel is in maintenance, other values apply: 50 lux for scraping, cleaning and painting the hull, 100 for painting and welding, and 200 for assembling electrical and mechanical components. The standard itself notes that this last level may be reached with local portable lighting.
Suitable: LED work lights · LED floodlights
NEN-EN 12464-2:2024 covers offshore oil and gas installations in table 19 and shipyards and docks in table 24. For the working deck of a work vessel, table 19 is the usable reference, because it names the work areas that also exist on a work vessel.
| Work area | Em | U0 | RGL | Ra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water surface below the installation | 30 lx | 0,25 | 50 | 40 |
| Ladders, stairs and walkways (on the treads) | 100 lx | 0,25 | 45 | 40 |
| Boat landing and transfer zones | 100 lx | 0,25 | 50 | 40 |
| Treatment areas | 100 lx | 0,50 | 45 | 70 |
| Pipe rack and pipe deck | 150 lx | 0,50 | 45 | 40 |
| Pump zones | 200 lx | 0,50 | 45 | 40 |
| Lifeboat zones | 200 lx | 0,40 | 50 | 40 |
Source: NEN-EN 12464-2:2024, table 19.
| Work area | Em required | Em modified | U0 | RGL | Ra |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General yard lighting and prefab storage | 20 lx | 30 lx | 0,25 | 55 | 40 |
| Short-term moving of large sections | 20 lx | 30 lx | 0,25 | 55 | 40 |
| Scraping, cleaning and painting the hull | 50 lx | 75 lx | 0,25 | 50 | 70 |
| Painting and welding | 100 lx | 150 lx | 0,40 | 45 | 70 |
| Assembly of electrical and mechanical components | 200 lx | 300 lx | 0,50 | 45 | 70 |
Source: NEN-EN 12464-2:2024, table 24. Highlighted: the modified value that becomes the design value at the yard.
Table 19 does not have a modified column. On construction sites and yards the design value may go up one step when circumstances require it; for offshore installations the standard gives no such room, and the required value is directly the design value. That makes the calculation tighter: the standard itself offers no margin, so it has to come from the maintenance factor and the design.
Color rendering may be low, except where something has to be assessed. Across most of an installation a color rendering index of 40 is enough. Only in treatment areas does the requirement jump to 70, and at the yard 70 applies as soon as painting, welding or assembly takes place. In practice we design above 40, because the crew also has to tell color-coded hoses, cables and markings apart, but it is worth knowing that the standard itself does not require it.
When the vessel is alongside, the values for quays and berths from table 14 apply, and those are much lower: 10 lux on the quay and 30 lux for loading and unloading. That side is covered on terminal lighting.
This is the core of the page. A site design is finished when the calculation grid is right. A deck design is only finished when it is right in every operating setup, and that is a different kind of calculation.
Not only across the deck, but also in height and with the vessel's motion. A beam that achieves a uniformity of 0.7 at deck level no longer achieves it four meters higher, unless the design accounts for it. That is why we calculate on several planes, not just on the deck.
On a deck, cranes, containers, reels and superstructure get in the way. One powerful luminaire casts hard shadows; several luminaires with overlapping beams do not. That is why on the Bokalift 2 we redesigned the whole concept instead of replacing luminaires.
Lifting, transfer, maintenance and sailing each need a different lit zone. Separately switched zones are not a luxury but the condition for meeting the requirements without keeping everything on all the time.
When lighting from a crane or a boom, the beam follows the movement and alternately lights the work and the sky. The Crane Light Stabilizer keeps the beam in place; on the Bokalift 2 it sits on the crane luminaires.
Changing a luminaire above water takes a work permit, often a shutdown and sometimes an aerial work platform that is not available. That shifts the balance: service life and interchangeability weigh more heavily here than purchase price. More on this at LB values and lifespan.
Every vessel has operations the fixed installation was not designed for: a repair in the hold, work at the stern during a transfer, an inspection somewhere nothing is mounted. In practice this is solved with work lamps and extension cables across the deck, and that is exactly where trip hazards and damaged cables come from.
For this we supply the same luminaires in a portable version: on a magnetic base, a clamp bracket or a rear-mount bracket with the driver box on the back of the luminaire, fitted with the vessel's connector and voltage range. That means one luminaire type on board, one set of spares and one known lighting performance, instead of a work lamp nobody has calculated.
Suitable: LED work lights · Piranha · Snapper
Magnetic base
On steel decks and superstructures, without drilling and without a bracket. Less common on board, but available.
Clamp bracket
On railings, tubes or profiles, for work over the side or in the hold.
Rear-mount bracket
With the driver box on the back of the luminaire: one compact unit that you move and connect without a separate power supply.
Deck work lighting must not impair the view from the bridge and must not be mistakable for navigation lights. That is not a lighting standard but good seamanship, and in most cases it is why crews switch luminaires off. An installation that is half off at night meets nothing.
Three things solve this: shielding on the bridge side, mounting below the watchkeeper's eye level where possible, and separately switchable zones so the work zone is lit and the rest is not. The standard sets glare limits per work area, between 45 and 50 on the open deck, and we verify them in the lighting design.
The helideck has its own regime: direct light toward the control tower and the approaching aircraft must be avoided, and light above the horizon must be kept to a minimum. We do not supply helideck lighting, and where a helideck is present we adapt the surrounding deck lighting to it.
On board, systems sit side by side: 24 V DC on one deck, 230 and 400 V AC on another, and a generator voltage that jumps as soon as a load comes on. The luminaire has to ride through that without dropping out, and the circuits must be arranged so that one fault does not leave a whole deck dark.
Then there is movement. Main engines, wave action and lifting put continuous vibration and shock on the structure. That calls for secured fastening, strain relief at every cable entry and brackets in the same material as the housing, because a stainless steel luminaire on a galvanized bracket creates exactly the galvanic couple you wanted to avoid.
For the deck connection we also supply the distribution in 316L, so the junction box in a wet position does not become the weakest link of the installation.
On board at a glance
24 V DC
and 230 to 400 V AC side by side, a separate version per deck
Per circuit
arranged so that one fault does not leave a whole deck dark
316L
for brackets, cable entries and the junction box in the wet position
More on degrees of protection at IP and IK rating.
Not every position on board asks for the same thing. On a sheltered deck, coated aluminum lasts for years. Close to the waterline, in the splash zone and in places that never dry out, solid 316L is the version to use: no coating that can come loose, brackets and fasteners in the same material class, and a 20-year warranty on the housing. The standard range has been tested for 1,007 hours of salt spray to ISO 9227.
Which version belongs where, and where 316L reaches its limits too, is set out in full on lighting for extreme corrosion.
On this point we depart from what is usual in this market. We state here what we do not do, so you do not find out in week three of a project.
No ATEX or IECEx. For gas and dust zones on board or on an installation, we cannot supply today.
No type approval from DNV or ABS. Our luminaires are not class-approved. What we can demonstrate is material, salt spray testing with test duration, and references on board.
No navigation, signal or helideck lighting. These are regulated luminaires with their own approval regime.
No accommodation and interior lighting. Our range is work lighting for outdoor use and technical spaces.
What we do demonstrate
Material: solid 316L on the wet positions, brackets in the same class.
Testing: 1,007 hours of salt spray to ISO 9227, with test duration on the datasheet.
References on board: Bokalift 2 from Boskalis, and the 316L line at P&O Europoort and BUSS Eemshaven.
Warranty: 20 years on the 316L housing.
Offshore heavy-lift vessel · Boskalis
The Bokalift 2 is an offshore heavy-lift vessel. It already had LED lighting from a well-known premium brand, but the deck was underlit for the work: because spotlights were used, the light was too concentrated and the work area fell into shadow. Working heights reach 125 meters above deck and the vessel is deployed in widely varying setups.
Instead of replacing luminaires, JEL redesigned the entire lighting concept for deck and crane: overlapping beams, optics chosen per position and automatic stabilization on the crane luminaires. Delivered: 4 Orca, 12 Barracuda, 16 DarkLicht DL1 and the Crane Light Stabilizers, with C5H marine coating and IP69K near the water.
200 lx
under the crane
0,70
uniformity over the height
Shadow-free
virtually, at every working height
The 316L line is also installed at the P&O ferry terminal in Europoort and at the BUSS Terminal Eemshaven, among other locations.
That varies by work area. EN 12464-2:2024 requires 100 lux on stairs and walkways, measured on the steps, 150 lux on a pipe deck, 200 lux at pump zones and life-saving equipment, and 300 lux on a drill floor. For offshore installations, the standard does not specify an increased alternative value, so the required value is immediately the design value.
Usually the luminaire is not the problem; the optics and the placement are. We first make the lighting design on the vessel drawing, per operating setup, and only then choose the luminaire.
No. We demonstrate material, salt spray testing with test duration, and references on board. Where class approval is a hard requirement, we are not the right supplier.
No, not at present.
Solid 316L, with brackets and fasteners in the same material class and a 20-year warranty on the housing.
Yes, DC versions are available. Tell us in your request which system runs on which deck, and we will match the versions and the circuit layout to it.
Yes, for that we use the Crane Light Stabilizer. It keeps the beam on the working plane while the crane moves.
We supply the design, the luminaires and technical support during installation. The mounting itself is done by the yard or your own technical department. See also installation and maintenance.
Then the values for shipyards and docks apply: 50 lux for hull treatment, 100 for painting and welding, and 200 for assembly work.
That depends on the position. We state the L-values per version and include the maintenance factor in the design, precisely because replacement at sea is an operation. More at LB values and lifespan.
Send us the vessel type, the deck layout and the operations the vessel is used for. You receive a lighting design per operating setup, checked against EN 12464-2:2024, with a layout per position.
| Response | within 1 working day, by an engineer |
| Lighting calculation | free of charge, per zone |
| Trial luminaire | on your own mast, on request |
| Warranty | 5 years full, 10 years on the housing with a maintenance contract |
Rather call directly: 033 785 9809
