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Port Marine Terminal Lighting Program

 Credit: Musco

Thanks to advances in LED technology and lighting design, large-scale projects can now effectively manage glare and light trespass. The DarkSky Approved Port Marine Terminal Lighting program sets a new standard for responsible industrial lighting—demonstrating what’s possible through rigorous guidelines, advanced products, and thoughtful, high-quality design.

Benefits of quality port marine terminal lighting

Approximately 22% of coastal waters are exposed to measurable levels of nighttime light pollution. Photo credit: Holly Jean Dolan

Marine environments are increasingly inundated with artificial light at night. With the majority of the world’s population living along coastlines, studies show that approximately 22% of coastal waters are exposed to measurable levels of nighttime light pollution. Industrial areas, including commercial ports critical to trade and global economies, are major contributors. The DarkSky Approved Port Marine Terminal Lighting program helps minimize the impact of artificial light on marine ecosystems, while maintaining efficiency and safeguarding nearby communities.

Participating in the DarkSky Approved Port Marine Terminal Lighting program supports the following:

  1. Efficient lighting design by using the right number of light poles and wattage to meet all lighting standards—without exceeding them.
  2. Minimizing impacts on marine habitats by controlling light trespass.
  3. Maintaining healthy communities by avoiding nuisance light and off-site glare.
  4. Eliminating uplight that contributes to sky glow, helping to preserve dark skies.
  5. Saving energy by targeting light only to the areas that need it.

Certification process

The approval process has two phases.

Phase 1

Applicants must apply for the program and upload lighting calculations, supplemental documents, and information through the online submission portal.

Submissions must include:

Applicant Form: Applicants must provide general information about the project as well as contact information for the lighting designer or engineer and the owner or operator of the project. For each project, the following must be listed:

  • Type of marine terminal and operations being performed, including illumination requirements and the standard/criteria being used for defining those illumination requirements. The illumination requirements must be listed for each Work Zone.
  • Plans showing the limits of the Work Zone(s), boundary lines, and water edge boundaries for both the Operational Setting and Non-Operational Setting.
  • Control schedule.

Phase 1 program payment:

A payment of $2,500 per design review is required to begin the approval process. Please refer to our program fee schedule for details and to access the payment portal.

Phase 2

Scheduling the Inspection: 

Upon completion of the project, DarkSky International must be contacted to coordinate a date and time for site evaluation. The Owner’s representative must be present for the inspection to provide full access to the site, and time must be allowed for all measurements required to demonstrate conformance with the DarkSky PMTL Criteria. The system must be fully operational, with all controls fully working, to test each control zone and light level at night for conformance with the control schedule approved in Phase 1.

Phase 2 program payment:

A final payment of $4,000 is required to complete the Phase 2 inspection and approval. Please see our program fee schedule for details and to access the payment portal.

Apply

If you’re ready to apply, ensure you’ve reviewed the guidelines, then fill out the form. Phase 1 payment is due upon form submission.

Review guidelines
Apply

Contact

To learn more, contact the DarkSky Lighting Program Manager.

Contact