P Lights

No. INT Description NOAA NGA Other NGA ECDIS

Light Structures and Major Floating Lights

Minor Light Floats → Q30, 31

Major light, minor light, light, Light, lighthouse,

1 Lt LtHo
lighthouse paper chart

PLATFORM Lighted offshore

2 Lighted offshore platform (lighted) platform, paper chart

Marker Lighted beacon tower,

3 Lighted beacon tower (lighted) paper chart

4 Lighted beacon
Lighted beacon,
paper chart
Articulated light, buoyant
5 beacon, resilient beacon Art

Major floating light (light vessel,

6 major light float, LANBY)
Light vessel, paper chart

Note: Minor lights, fixed and floating, usually conform to IALA Maritime Buoyage System characteristics.

Navigational lights on landmarks

7 or other structures

8 Important light off chart limits

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 Lights P
Abbreviation Period shown
No. Class of light Illustration ECDIS
INT NOAA

Light Characters
Light Characters on Light Buoys → Q
F
10.1 F F Fixed

Occulting (total duration of light longer than total duration of darkness)

Oc
Oc Oc Single-occulting

10.2 Oc(2) Oc (2)

Oc (2) Group-occulting
Example
Oc(2+3) Oc (2+3)
Oc (2+3) Composite group-occulting
Example

Isophase (duration of light and darkness equal)

10.3 Iso
Iso Iso Isophase

Flashing (total duration of light shorter than total duration of darkness)

Fl Fl Single-flashing Fl

10.4 Fl(3) Fl (3)

Fl (3) Group-flashing
Example
Fl(2+1) Fl (2+1)
Fl (2+1) Composite group-flashing
Example
L FL When text for lights is displayed,
10.5 LFl L Fl Long-flashing (flash 2s or longer)
ECDIS uses INT abbreviations.
Quick (repetition rate of 50 to 79 - usually either 50 or 60 - flashes per minute)
Q
Q Q Continuous quick

10.6 Q(3) Q(3)

Q (3) Group quick
Example
IQ
IQ IQ Interrupted quick

Very quick (repetition rate of 80 to 159 - usually either 100 or 120 - flashes per minute)
VQ
VQ VQ Continuous very quick

10.7 VQ(3) VQ(3)

VQ (3) Group very quick
Example

IVQ IVQ Interrupted very quick

Ultra quick (repetition rate of 160 or more - usually 240 to 300 - flashes per minute)

UQ UQ Continuous ultra quick

10.8
IUQ IUQ Interrupted ultra quick

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P Lights
Abbreviation Period shown
No. Class of light Illustration ECDIS
INT NOAA
Mo(K) Mo (K)
10.9 Example
Mo (K) Morse Code

F Fl When text for lights is displayed,

10.10 FFl F Fl Fixed and flashing
ECDIS uses INT abbreviations.

W R W R W R Al WR
10.11 Al.WR AlWR Alternating

No. INT Description NOAA NGA Other NGA ECDIS

White (only on sector and Colors of lights shown

11.1 W alternating lights) Default light symbol if no
on standard charts color is encoded or color
11.2 R Red is other than red, green,
white, yellow, amber, or
orange
11.3 G Green

11.4 Bu Blue on multicolored charts Red

11.5 Vi Violet Green

White, yellow, amber or

11.6 Y Yellow
orange
on multicolored charts
at sector lights
11.7 Y Or Orange
Sector lights
11.8 Y Am Amber

Period
Period in seconds and tenths of
12 2.5s 90s a second

Elevation
Plane of reference for Heights → H Tidal Levels → H
Elevation of light given in meters
13 12m or feet
36ft When text for lights is displayed,
ECDIS uses INT abbreviations.
Range
15M Light with single range
10M
15/10M Light with two different ranges only lesser of two 15/10M
14 ranges is charted
7M
15-7M Light with three or more ranges only least of three
ranges is charted
Note: Charted ranges are nominal ranges given in Nautical Miles.

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 Lights P
No. INT Description NOAA NGA Other NGA ECDIS

Disposition

(hor) Horizontally disposed

Disposition of light is obtained by

15 (vert) Vertically disposed
cursor pick

( ) ( ) 3 lights disposed in the shape of

a triangle

Example of a Full Light Description

INT Example NOAA Example NGA Example
FlR15s21m11M

ft

Fl(3) Class of light: group flashing repeating a group of Fl(3) Class of light: group flashing repeating a group of The descriptions of non-sector lights are shown
three flashes three flashes in ECDIS when the display of text is turned on, as
shown above. (The aid to navigation or other struc-
WRG Colors: white, red, green, exhibiting the different WRG Colors: white, red, green, exhibiting the different ture that is always shown attached to a light flare in
colors in defined sections colors in defined sections ECDIS is not depicted here.)

15s Period: the time taken to exhibit one full sequence of 15s Period: the time taken to exhibit one full sequence of Sector lights (as described in the INT, NOAA and
three flashes and eclipses: 15 seconds three flashes and eclipses: 15 seconds NGA examples at left) are depicted graphically in
16 ECDIS, as shown below and in P40.
21m Elevation of focal plane above datum: 21 meters Elevation of light:
The description of a sector light or
21ft 21 feet any other type of light may always be
21m 21 meters obtained by cursor pick.

15-11M Nominal range: white 15M, green 11M, red between Nominal range:
15 and 11M
11M shortest range of all the lights is 11M
15-11M white 15M, green 11M, red between 15 and 11M

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P Lights

No. INT Description NOAA NGA Other NGA ECDIS

Lights Marking Fairways

Leading Lights and Lights in Line
Leading lights with sectors

g
de
3
5.
22
Leading lights with leading line
(solid line is the track to be
20.1 followed) and arcs of visibility Lts in line 270°
Bearing given in degrees and
tenths of a degree

Leading lights (≠ means lights

in line) Oc OcR 270 deg
20.2 Leading lights
Bearing given in degrees and
tenths of a degree

Leading lights on small scale

20.3 charts

FlG FlG 270 deg

Lights in line, marking the sides Lights in line, marking

21 of a channel the sides of a channel
2FlR 270 deg

22 Rear Lt or Upper Lt Rear or upper light

23 Front Lt or Lower Lt Front or lower light

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 Lights P
No. INT Description NOAA NGA Other NGA ECDIS

Direction Lights
Directional light with sector

RED
Direction light with narrow
sector and course to be followed,
30.1 flanked by darkness or 269 deg

N
GREE
unintensified light

Directional light without sector

deg
209
Direction light with course to be
30.2 followed, sector(s) uncharted

16
5.5
de
g
Fl(2)5s11M Oc12s6M

Direction light with narrow

fairway sector flanked by light
30.3 sectors of different character on
standard charts

Light, directional

Direction light with narrow

fairway sector flanked by light
30.4 sectors of different character on
multicolored charts

Moiré effect light (day and night), FY 270 deg Category of light as
31 arrows show when course moiré effect is obtained
alteration needed by cursor pick

Note: Quoted bearings are always from seaward.

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P Lights

No. INT Description NOAA NGA Other NGA ECDIS

Sector Lights

40.1 Sector light on standard charts

Light, sector

Sector light on multicolored

40.2 charts

Sector lights on standard charts,

41.1 the white sector limits marking
the sides of the fairway

Sector lights on multicolored

41.2 charts, the white sector limits
marking the sides of the fairway

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 Lights P
No. INT Description NOAA NGA Other NGA ECDIS

Light, danger

Main light visible all-round with

42 red subsidiary light seen over

RED
danger

Light, obscured

All-round light with obscured

43

OBSC
sector

Light with arc of visibility

44 deliberately restricted
Light, restricted

45 Light with faint sector Light, faint

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P Lights

No. INT Description NOAA NGA Other NGA ECDIS

Intensified light visibility is obtained by

cursor pick

46 Light with intensified sector

Light, intensified

Lights with Limited Times of Exhibition

Lights exhibited only when spe-
50 cially needed (for fishing vessels, Occas F R (occas)
ferries) and some private lights

Daytime light (charted only

where the character shown by F Bu 9m 6M
51 day differs from that shown at (F by day)
night)

Fog light (exhibited only in fog, or Status and condition of light is

52 character changes in fog) obtained by cursor pick

Unwatched (unmanned) light

53 †
with no standby or emergency
arrangements

54 (temp) Temporary

55 (exting) Extinguished

Special Lights
Flare Stack (as sea) → L Flare Stack (on land) → E Signal Stations → T

AeroAlFlWG7.5s11M
60 Aero light (may be unreliable) AERO Al WG 7.5s Light
AERO 108m 13M AERO

Air obstruction light of high

61.1 intensity (e.g. on radio mast) AERO F R 77m 11M
† AeroFR313m11M Conspicuous mast with
light
Air obstruction light of low
61.2 intensity (e.g. on radio mast)
TR (RLts)

Category of light is obtained by cursor

62 Fog Det Lt Fog detector light
pick

Floodlit, floodlighting of a
63 (Illuminated)
structure
Floodlight

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 Lights P
No. INT Description NOAA NGA Other NGA ECDIS

64 Strip light Strip light

Private light other than one Status of private is obtained by cursor

65 (priv)
exhibited occasionally Priv F R (priv) pick
Priv maintd

66 (sync) Synchronized light

Supplementary National Symbols

a Riprap surrounding light

S-L Fl
b Short-Long Flashing

G-S Fl
c Group-Short Flashing

d Fixed and Group Flashing F Gp Fl

e Unmanned light-vessel; light float FLOAT

LANBY, superbuoy as
f navigational aid

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