Night navigation in Northern Italy river canal
Resinex signals place the emphasis on safe navigation and reduced environmental impact on Aussa Corno river and the Marano Lagoon.
Italian navigation aid specialist Resinex has created an innovative signaling system for night navigation in the river canal of Aussa Corno and the Marano Lagoon which link to the open sea Port of Nogaro.
The new system is comprised of 48 light signals placed on wooden pipes and a signaling elastic beacon positioned in the open sea equipped with a Racon and a 6nm lantern. The signals are composed of a telescopic steel structure, with an adjustable base which has allowed exact alignment of the lanterns at different heights.
Previously, night navigation in the area has been forbidden for safety reasons, but now the new signaling system has helped increase the commercial capacity of the whole area over a 24 hour period.
Before creating the system, an analysis of environmental impact was necessary. The area is an important natural habitat for birds which nest in the nearby lagoon. Marano Lagoon, is a stopping point (before reaching the sea), for migrant birds coming from Central and Northern Europe. It is therefore populated by diverse species of birds including geese, gulls and herons as well as rarer species including wetland hawks and terns.
Taking this into account, Resinex manufactured special signals, darkened for 180° towards the external side of the canal in order not to disturb the birds at night.
To further respect the environment and to avoid light pollution, the whole system has remote control lighting. In this way it has been possible to considerably reduce the impact caused by the lights. The lights are only turned on by pilots when incoming or outbound passage is required by vessels going to and from the Port of Nogaro.
All other aspects of the system are remote controlled, and can also be operated from the offices of the Nogaro Port Authority. From there it is also possible to monitor the whole system, checking the efficiency of the lanterns, batteries and solar panels which power the system.
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