Marking Canadian Island’s Navigation Hazards with Precise Omni-Directional Sector Light

Sealite Case Studies

Marking Canadian Island’s Navigation Hazards with Precise Omni-Directional Sector Light

Marking Canadian Island’s Navigation Hazards with Precise Omni-Directional Sector Light

By:Roxie Crosby | August 02, 2022
Application: Marking Multiple Navigational Hazards
Product: SL-ODSL Omni-Directional Sector Light
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date: May 2022

Background

Johnstone Strait stretches 54 miles on the north side of Vancouver Island connecting Blinkhorn Peninsula and Chatham Point. It is also home to orca whales, with a population of approximately 200 whales, as well as a wide variety of other marine life. This important thoroughfare is used by main vessels including cargo freighters, fishing vessels, local, commercial, and public mariners, as well as cruise ships bound for Alaska in the summer months.

Along the Johnstone Strait lies Helmcken Island where currents can run up to 6 knots and conditions can change quickly. A sector light is installed on the south side of Helmcken Island to mark the safe route and aid mariners around the island avoiding the rocky coastline and nearby hazards.

The Challenge

The sector light installed used an incandescent light source, which requires a large power supply making it inefficient to operate and over time, expensive to maintain. Frequent maintenance to a steep coastline and unpredictable waters established a need to upgrade the light and modernize the optic.

The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) needed to source a new sector light that met specific requirements:
The light must be precise in providing mariners Arc of Visibility.

It is energy efficient for reduced maintenance and increased reliability.

It has the technology to program and service the lantern.

Solution

The Canadian Coast Guard has a long-standing relationship with Sealite and has had success with Sealite products in various installations. In collaboration with Sealite, the CCG installed the SL-ODSL Omni-Directional Sector Light at Helmcken Island.

The sector light is customizable for locations like Helmcken Island where there was a need to mark multiple areas with a single unit. The two-tier design allows a sufficient amount of sectors with the capability to alternate colors with precision. Each sector color optic does not blend with each other and instead projects a sharp transition line with an accurate, clear distinction between navigable and unnavigable waters.

With a maximum intensity of up to 2600 candelas in white, Sealite’s SL-ODSL Omni-Directional Sector Light has a visible range of 7-11NM. It is far greater than any other sector light on the market. Because the SL-ODSL uses LED optics, it has a lighter footprint, consumes less energy, therefore uses fewer batteries and improves maintenance costs. Integrated Bluetooth® technology allows CCG to conveniently program the light and perform periodic maintenance from a mobile device up to 50 meters away, removing the need for their technicians to scale the coastline.

While Helmcken Island has reported some of the most turbulent conditions, the Sealite’s SL-ODSL has an IP67 rating to withstand harsh conditions.

Outcome

Sealite’s Omni-Directional Sector Light was easily installed and programmed by the CCG. The SL-ODSL has precise sectors with virtually no bleeding of color, and mariners can clearly recognize the Arc of Visibility.

The newly installed sector light has helped all mariners using the Johnstone Strait to safely navigate around the south side of Helmcken Island.

To find out more about Sealite’s ODSL and other marine lanterns, visit the product pages on our website.

 

“The Sealite product line features excellent products servicing the needs of various installations across the rugged coastlines of Canadian waters.”

Joe Pilgrim
Supervisor of the Helmcken Island Project

What Our Client's Say

On behalf of Karachi Port I am pleased to acknowledge your good service and provision of the new SL-75 solar marine lanterns installed by your firm in the harbour channel at Karachi Port. The new lanterns are very feasible and useful and equipped with the latest navigational technology.

-Captain Muhammad Altaf

[Re: Sealite SL-LED Lightsource at LaCorbiere Lighthouse], We were impressed with Sealite’s solution which provided a modern, reliable and efficient light source whilst remaining sympathetic to the lighthouse’s heritage and significance as a local landmark, but most importantly to improve upon reliability and to continue its vital role in aiding the safety of navigation in Jersey’s waters, as it has done for nearly 130 years.

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As one of your new distributors (Belize and Honduras, Waller Marine Belize LTD), I would like to express my congratulations to you and your people in providing reliable, dependable and inexpensive products. Formerly we were distributors for a Canadian made product but these were found to be too expensive for the market and also offered only difficult and complicated programming. Our first order of lights from you (SL15’s) took only four days to arrive from Aussie Land, when I opened the box they were still flashing. I tested a SL60 (white) for four days (steady on) before it required a recharge…remarkable. I will be placing another order shortly. Keep up the good work.

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We choose to sell Sealite … this is a long story, well we treat Sealite as our own and the relationship we have developed with Jeff and Chris and their attitude and commitment towards growing Sealite to this stage is remarkable. We feel at home when talking to them and the staff of Sealite and this in turn gives us more security and strength in selling products in India.

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[Re: Sealite Solar-Powered LED Area Lighting system], We chose the Sealite system for the Jacobs Well Queuing Pontoon due to our previous experience with Sealite’s product, its durability and construction.

-Peter Taylor

I just wanted to say thank you for the light and bracket Sealite supplied to Birkenhead Marina. As the other lights (old ones) need new batteries I will be replacing them with new lights from Sealite and the same brackets that you supplied with the light we received last week … Your product is excellent and the system of setting the light is good also. Thanks again for all your trouble.

-Philip McGowen