Navigational Light Control Panel for Large Vessel

This is a 14-dual circuit Navigation Light Control Panel (NLCP) manufactured by JBOX, purpose-built for installation aboard large power-driven vessels exceeding 50 meters in length — specifically large container ships operating in international shipping lanes and subject to the full scope of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS).

The NLCP serves as the centralized bridge-mounted command station from which licensed deck officers and watchstanders can energize, select, monitor, and troubleshoot every external navigation and signal light required for the vessel’s operational profile. The panel is specifically configured and designed to retrofit to Phoenix LED SturdiSignal navigational lights, a modern LED-based navigation lighting platform that offers significant advantages over legacy incandescent fixtures in terms of lamp longevity, power consumption, visibility, and reduced maintenance burden — a particularly important consideration for large container ships operating on extended international voyages where access to repair facilities and spare parts may be limited for weeks at a time.

The panel is organized into two primary columns of light circuits, clearly separated and labeled. The left column houses the core navigation and towing light circuits, while the right column houses the anchor light and the full suite of Not Under Command (N.U.C.) and Restricted in Ability to Maneuver (R.A.M.) signal lights. Both columns share a unified design language: each individual light circuit is equipped with a three-position rotary selector switch (Secondary – Off – Primary) enabling the operator to select between redundant primary and secondary lamps, and a dedicated red alarm indicator lens that illuminates upon lamp failure or blown fuse. This automated primary/secondary redundancy across all 14 dual light circuits ensures continuous COLREGS compliance even upon single-lamp failure — a critical safety feature for vessels of this size operating in congested international shipping lanes such as the Strait of Malacca, the English Channel, the Singapore Strait, and major port approaches where the consequences of a navigation light outage could be catastrophic.

The panel face is finished in a dark matte gray with crisp white engraved lettering, optimized for readability under the low-light conditions typical of a working bridge at night. The overall layout is clean, logical, and designed for rapid identification of individual circuits even under the stress of an alarm condition or during heavy-traffic watchstanding.

Power Supply & Control Features

The top row of the panel houses the power supply and control elements. The panel is fed through a Power Input breaker and two Main breakers rated at 10 amps each, providing robust overcurrent protection for the panel’s supply circuits and allowing for separation of primary and secondary power feeds. A Pilot Light (green indicator) confirms that the panel is energized and operational. An associated Pilot Light Dimmer with High/Low settings allows the watchstander to reduce the pilot light brightness during nighttime operations to preserve night vision adaptation — an essential bridge watchstanding consideration, particularly on container ships where the bridge may be positioned high above the waterline with expansive windows and minimal ambient light.

An Alarm Test push button is provided, which when depressed opens all light circuits that are currently switched on, allowing the operator to systematically verify that every alarm indicator and the audible alarm are functioning correctly. This is a standard pre-departure, watch-turnover, and periodic verification check that ensures the alarm system itself has not degraded. An Emergency Repair Plug / Fuse In Use indicator (red lamp) is mounted at the far right of the top row, providing a clear and persistent visual warning when the emergency bypass fuse or repair plug has been engaged — alerting the watch team that the panel is operating in a non-standard, degraded configuration and that a maintenance action is outstanding.Alarm SystemThe panel incorporates a dual-mode fault annunciation system:
Audible and visual alarms activate simultaneously to indicate navigation light failure or blown fuse on any individual circuit. The red alarm indicator on the affected circuit illuminates, and an audible alarm sounds to draw the watchstander’s immediate attention — even if they are not looking directly at the panel.

Audible alarm alone activates to indicate loss of normal power to the panel, prompting the watch team to switch to the emergency power source. This distinction is operationally significant: a power loss condition is a ship-wide electrical casualty that the engineering watch is likely already aware of, so a visual-only alarm on individual light circuits would be redundant and potentially confusing. The audible-only alarm serves as a clear, unambiguous prompt to the bridge team to verify that emergency power has been restored to the navigation lighting circuits.
All individual light circuit fuses throughout the panel are rated at 3 amps maximum, as noted on the engraved data plate at the bottom of the panel — consistent with the lower current draw of modern LED navigation fixtures such as the Phoenix LED SturdiSignal platform.