Every week, Bateaux.com brings you a question about your boating license. To validate your skills, or even to discover unexplored areas. This week, we take a look at ship's lights.
What do these 3 night lights represent?
At night, 2 superimposed red lights mean that we are in the presence of a ship that is not in control of its maneuvering. These red lights must be visible over the entire 360° horizon. By day, these lights are replaced by two superimposed balls.
A boat that cannot maneuver is a boat that, due to exceptional circumstances, is no longer able to maneuver. This means that it can no longer comply with the RIPAM rules (helm damage, engine problems, going to port in bad weather, etc.). This concept is different from that of a vessel with restricted maneuvering ability. The latter is still able to navigate, but must not leave a channel because of its draught, for example, or is carrying out dredging work.
In our example, we also see her green light. This means that the ship, which is not in control of its maneuvering, is moving forward (it is making headway) and we can see its starboard bow. If the ship had no headway, it would have to switch off its headlights (so we wouldn't see the green light).
