VLL-43s configured as Running lights in conjunction with LO200M lanterns increase safety at Poti Port, Georgia.

Poti Sea Port is the largest port in Georgia, located in the eastern Black Sea coast at the mouth of the Rioni River. It serves as a vital link between Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. The route is complex to the mariners due to a sharp turn from the sea route and a very narrow channel to the port. Strong background illumination makes it extra difficult for port traffic to utilize the existing LO200M lead lights.

After considering various options, it was decided the best solution was to utilize the VLL-43 as a vertical linear light to enhance the visibility of the LO200M lights.

To enhance visibility further, it was decided to have several VLL-43s installed on the front dayboard of each pair of lead lights, with these being configured as “Running” lights. The intention was to have the running lights “catch the eye” of the mariner.

The VLL-43s were chosen due to these not only being a powerful unidirectional lead light with a low power consumption along with suitable optical divergence, but also offered an economic solution for this application.

The VLL-43s were also designed to install on vertical surfaces, so installation on the day boards was extremely easy and uncomplicated. As VLL-43s only require a very small amount of power to operate, a small solar panel and battery pack was all that was required to run these lights.

“Pilots, other users and stakeholders are satisfied and to sum up the quality of navigation through Poti port canal is much higher now….,”  states Aleksandre Zerkaa, Head of Division of Technical Service and Monitoring of Navigational Marks in Georgian State Hydrographic Service.

For a video showing these new lights in action, see below.

For more information on the VLL-43, see here  For more information on the LO200m, see here 

 

 

Oct 2020

 

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