The Importance of ID Marking

How do you know how to locate a particular offshore wind turbine? Does it have an address?  

Well, sort of. Each turbine has specific coordinates, but they can be long and complicated. Therefore, in order to simplify communication, each turbine in an offshore wind farm receives its own alphanumeric name, usually in the form of two letters and two numbers. These letters and numbers communicate a turbine’s position in relation to the complete layout of the wind farm. For example, in a grid of turbines, letters could communicate rows and numbers could communicate columns.  

These ID designations are painted on the turbine towers for daytime identification. This is important for guiding service personnel to the correct turbines, or for allowing search and rescue teams to navigate within a wind farm.  

Making ID Signs Visible 

A wind turbine’s name should always be visible, at all times and from all angles. Often it is necessary to repeat markings on three times around the structure to ensure 360° visibility. Whilst work would generally never be scheduled to be carried out at nighttime, emergency situations can arise when a vessel has to enter the wind farm and locate a particular turbine. Therefore, illumination is needed at night. This can be done either by illuminating the daytime marking with a special floodlight, or using a separate signboard attached to the railing. 

IALA (The International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities) set out their guidelines for lighting ID signs in recommendation G1162. They say:  

“These panels shall be easily visible in daylight as well as at night, either by using illumination or retro-reflecting material. If illuminated the light should be of an intensity which will not obscure AtoN (Aids to Navigation) or affect navigation in the vicinity.” 

Sabik Offshore produce two lights that fully comply with this recommendation. The SeaMark ID Sign Light (IDSL NAi) is desiged to provide uniform illumination of ID sign boards up to 1500mm high by 2200mm wide. 

The Original NAI ALS 410 floodlight is designed to provide uniform illumination of the daytime marking with no hotspots and little to no light pollution.    

Preventing Light Pollution 

As well as not interfering with marine lanterns, illuminating ID signs should not cause hot spots on the lettering, or create light pollution. To prevent this, the SeaMark ID Sign Light and ID floodlights have specially designed optics which provide uniform and focused illumination where it is needed and nowhere else.  

Both lights are part of our NAi network, which includes 96 hours of battery back-up, should mains power be lost, and are monitored and controlled through the SCADA system.  

Sabik Offshore provides practical and easy-to-use solutions for ID marking.  

We are your experts in lighting and marking offshore windfarms.