Port Entry Lights Assure Commuters a Safe Passage from Staten Island to Manhattan

Sealite Case Studies

Port Entry Lights Assure Commuters a Safe Passage from Staten Island to Manhattan

Port Entry Lights Assure Commuters a Safe Passage from Staten Island to Manhattan

By:Sealite | October 11, 2016
Application: Whitehall Ferry Terminal (Manhattan) and Georges Ferry Terminal (Staten Island) Project
Products: Six precision sectored Port Entry Lights (PEL) with custom power supplies
Location: NewYork, USA
Background

The purpose of the project was to provide additional visual aid to navigation in times of reduced day/night visibility to the fleet of ferries. The PEL are installed to guide the ferries into their berths at Whitehall Ferry Terminal (Manhattan) and St Georges Ferry Terminal (Staten Island), reducing the chance of incident while docking and to ensure the safe arrival of commuters.

The Staten Island Ferry runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is the only non-vehicle mode of transport between Staten Island and Manhattan. The nine-vessel fleet provides 70,000 passengers a day (22 million people a year) with the ferry service between St. George on Staten Island and Whitehall Street in Lower Manhattan. The Staten Island Ferry is the most reliable form of mass transit and is a favorite of tourists visiting New York City as it provides excellent views of the lower Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty at no cost to riders.

The visual aid is in addition to radar electronic charts and GPS, with the end goal being to reduce risk through Sealite technology. The lights are activated only when there is low visibility, and when the Captain sees a steady light he knows he is heading in the correct direction.

– Joe Richter, Sea Safety International.

Solution

The benefit of a programmable flash pattern of each LED and the light intensity piercing through low visibility weather conditions in the last 1.5NM approach to berth was the major benefit in using Sealite’s PEL. The additional advantage of its compact form factor, lightweight and IP67 rated weatherproof enclosure, gave the Staten Island Ferry Captain the confidence that the product would withstand the unpredictable and harsh weather conditions.

Advanced features of the Sealite PEL including convenient PC programming via USB, high visibility, low power consumption, and monitoring and reporting were the main reason Sealite was selected. Programming is achieved via a built-in weatherproof port, eliminating the need to open the unit and expose it to the elements. The port entry light will not require focusing or re-lamping while in service.

Port Entry Light (PEL)

The PEL can be configured to suit many channel marking and leading line applications and there are two versions available with different overall beam widths. The light is designed to suit high- precision sector applications and provides a measured changeover between colour sectors of typically one minute of arc.

The light also comes ready for interfacing with Type 1 and Type 3 AIS or GSM monitoring solutions, allowing maintenance personnel the convenience of monitoring the light through their cellular phones or web portal. Sealite’s 10 degree PEL is a low-powered, high intensity, precision sectored light, with a nighttime visible range of up to 20NM and a daytime visible range of 3.5NM. Providing over 120,000cd at 30 watts, the Sealite PEL is extraordinarily efficient and with its ultra-compact design, it removes the need for split-assemblies and realignment on difficult sites.

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.

-Aaron Gavey

[Re: Sealite Wins Duke’s Choice Award for Java Technology & the Environment – Sealite GSM monitoring & control system]. The team at Motorola were extremely impressed with Sealite’s innovative integration of the G24-Java wireless module in their GSM Monitoring & Alarm System.

-Golan Haver

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.

-Capt Andy Suddes

[Re: Installation of WindTalker for kite-surfing club], The WindTalker™ is a big success here in Cyprus, thanks to your after sales support the unit is now functioning perfectly.

-Christophe Meletiou

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.

-Aliasgar E Patrawala

[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