46 CFR 143.410: Shipboard lighting on towing vessels

Last reviewed: October 14, 2026

This section sets lighting requirements for towing vessels. Crew working and living areas must have sufficient lighting suitable for the marine environment, and internal crew areas must have emergency lighting. Each towing vessel must also carry at least two portable, battery-powered lights.

Applies toTowing vessels, including their crew working and living areas.

What it says

  1. Crew working and living areas must have sufficient lighting suitable for the marine environment.

    46 CFR 143.410(a)“Sufficient lighting suitable for the marine environment must be provided within crew working and living areas.”

  2. All internal crew working and living areas must have emergency lighting.

    46 CFR 143.410(b)“Emergency lighting must be provided for all internal crew working and living areas.”

  3. Emergency lighting sources must give enough illumination under emergency conditions to help people leave each space.

    46 CFR 143.410(b)“Emergency lighting sources must provide for sufficient illumination under emergency conditions to facilitate egress from each space”

  4. One allowed type of emergency lighting is automatic and battery-operated, with a duration of no less than 2 hours.

    46 CFR 143.410(b)(1)“Automatic, battery-operated with a duration of no less than 2 hours; or”

  5. The other allowed type is non-electric, phosphorescent adhesive lighting strips installed along escape routes and sufficiently visible to enable egress with no power.

    46 CFR 143.410(b)(2)“Non-electric, phosphorescent adhesive lighting strips that are installed along escape routes and sufficiently visible to enable egress with no power.”

  6. Each towing vessel must have at least two portable, battery-powered lights.

    46 CFR 143.410(c)“Each towing vessel must be equipped with at least two portable, battery-powered lights.”

  7. One portable light must be in the pilothouse and the other at the access to the engine room.

    46 CFR 143.410(c)“One must be located in the pilothouse and the other at the access to the engine room.”

Common questions

How long must battery-operated emergency lighting last on a towing vessel?

Automatic, battery-operated emergency lighting must have a duration of no less than 2 hours.

“Automatic, battery-operated with a duration of no less than 2 hours; or”

Can phosphorescent strips be used for emergency lighting on a towing vessel?

Yes. Non-electric, phosphorescent adhesive lighting strips may be used if they are installed along escape routes and are sufficiently visible to enable egress with no power.

“Non-electric, phosphorescent adhesive lighting strips that are installed along escape routes and sufficiently visible to enable egress with no power.”

Where must portable battery-powered lights be located on a towing vessel?

One must be in the pilothouse and the other at the access to the engine room.

“One must be located in the pilothouse and the other at the access to the engine room.”

The text of 46 CFR 143.410

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), current as of April 16, 2026 · Read it on eCFR

Shipboard lighting

(a) Sufficient lighting suitable for the marine environment must be provided within crew working and living areas.

(b) Emergency lighting must be provided for all internal crew working and living areas. Emergency lighting sources must provide for sufficient illumination under emergency conditions to facilitate egress from each space and must be either:

(1) Automatic, battery-operated with a duration of no less than 2 hours; or

(2) Non-electric, phosphorescent adhesive lighting strips that are installed along escape routes and sufficiently visible to enable egress with no power.

(c) Each towing vessel must be equipped with at least two portable, battery-powered lights. One must be located in the pilothouse and the other at the access to the engine room.

The plain-English explanation on this page was written with AI from the regulation text above and checked automatically before publishing: every quote appears in the text, every number comes from it, and a second model confirmed each statement adds nothing the text doesn't say. Regulation text current as of April 16, 2026. The regulation text governs. RegKnot is not affiliated with the U.S. Coast Guard.