Position, read as a colour
One light, seen from anywhere in the approach, tells a vessel which side of the track it is on. The arcs are cut where the marking plan says they should be, and the colour changes at that line.
AtoN House Nordic
Sector lights
The colour tells you whether you are on the line
A sector light is shielded arc by arc. Off the safe track a vessel sees one colour, on it another, and the change happens at the angle the marking plan defines. It is how a harbour tells a ship where the deep water is without anyone saying a word.
- Red, white and green arcs
- Sector accuracy to 0.5 degrees
- Range up to 12 nautical miles
- Automatic day and night operation
- Status and alarms on the Emiko platform
- Sector accuracy
- 0.5 degrees
- Range
- Up to 12 NM
- Arcs
- Red, white, green
Key features
What a sector light does for the navigator
A navigator should not have to judge an angle by eye. A sector light turns the angle into a colour.
Sectors to half a degree
The MBL 400S divides its arcs to within half a degree. That precision is what makes a sector light usable in an entrance where the safe water is not much wider than the vessel.
Day and night without a visit
The light moves between day and night operation on its own, and says so when something stops working.
Seen on the platform
Status, alarms and remote control sit on the Emiko platform, beside the other marks in the same plan.
How it is planned
Setting the arcs before building the light
The sectors are a decision about the water, not a property of the lamp.
Planning a sector light starts with the safe track into the harbour or through the passage, and the angles at which a vessel leaves it. Those angles become the edges of the arcs. The light is then built and aimed so the colour changes exactly there, and the boundaries are documented for the site. An error of one degree in a hundred metre entrance moves the edge of the safe water a long way out to sea, which is why aiming and commissioning are done on site and written down.
Establish the safe track and the angles at which a vessel leaves it
Set the arc boundaries and the colour each sector shows
Choose the range the approach needs and the power the position can supply
Aim and commission the light on site, then document the sectors
Models
The sector lights we supply
MBL 400S LED sector light
Omnidirectional LED sector light for precise approaches, channel marking and narrow or sensitive fairways.
- 0.5 degree sector accuracy
- Range up to 12 nautical miles
- Full integration with the Emiko platform
ODSL HI sector beacon
Modular LED sector beacon with built-in redundancy, used at Gjogur Lighthouse in the Westfjords with the Iceland Road and Coastal Administration.
- Reported range up to 14 nautical miles
- Automatic day and night transition
- IP66 and IP67 rated construction
The family
| Unit | Class | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Marinella NEO | Compact | Up to 4 power outlets, optional water |
| Marineium | Standard | Up to 6 power outlets, optional 2 water outlets |
| MarineBox | Cabinet | Up to 12 power outlets, optional water outlet |
| MarinePro | Advanced | Up to 16 power outlets, up to 2 water outlets |
Good to know
Frequently asked questions about Sector lights
What do the colours mean?
By convention white marks the safe track and red and green mark the sides of it, but the plan for the specific approach decides. The colours and the angle of every boundary are documented for the site.
How far away can a sector light be read?
The MBL 400S is rated up to 12 nautical miles and the ODSL HI up to 14. The distance that matters is the one from the point where a vessel still has room to act on what it sees.
Sector light or range light?
A sector light works from one position and tells a vessel which side of the line it is on. A range light is a pair read together and tells it when it is exactly on the line. Narrow approaches often use both.
Can the sectors be changed later?
The arcs are physical. Changing them means changing the optic or the aim, which is site work rather than a setting, so the plan is worth getting right before the light is built.
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