Colregs Flashing Red Light

[unbusted67]

Penobscot Bay: 7:30pm. Flashing red light above port light on a power driven vessel larger than 50m headed to sea. What does it mean?! never seen that before.

[Lodesman]

Could it have been a WIG vessel?

[StuM]

It means they are contravening Rule 36.
(A flashing red light can be mistaken for an "aid to navigation" i.e. a nav beacon)

[BigBoater917]

I'd say it was an outbound oil tanker that left its bravo light on by accident. Bravo is used to tell signify that it is carrying dangerous cargo.


Edit- the tanker STI Esles II is outbound Penobscot bay right now, it was probably them.

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by BigBoater917

I'd say it was an outbound oil tanker that left its bravo light on by accident. Bravo is used to tell signify that it is carrying dangerous cargo.


Edit- the tanker STI Esles II is outbound Penobscot bay right now, it was probably them.

Bravo light shouldn't flash.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Lodesman

Bravo light shouldn't flash.

In different places of the world, it does flash.

Odd, but true.

[Montanan]

The flag Bravo is a red swallowtail meaning "I am taking in, or discharging, or carrying dangerous goods". Some harbours require a red light at night as an equivalent to flag Bravo during the day. Since the meaning includes "carrying", the red light will be on at night while the ship is in the harbour area.

In practice, many ships carrying dangerous cargo will turn their red light on when they start loading, and leave it on (day and night) until the cargo is discharged.

Practice varies as to the light being a steady red all around signal or a flashing red signal, strobe by pulsing or rotating.

[Sailnav]

An aside. At the Newport (RI) Shipyard, some of the masts are so high that they carry red blinking lights on top, just like the anti collision lights on radio towers that warn aircraft.

[tkeithlu]

Red mastheads are common to sailing megayachts, as in the Lake Worth dockyard. They exceed FAA minium for a tower.:

"According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), all structures exceeding 200 feet above ground level (AGL) must be appropriately marked with tower lights or tower paint. In addition, the Federal Communications Commission governs monitoring requirements for airport obstruction lights."

[Oceanride007]

Also means taking on Fuel. Apparently sometimes lights get left on.