November 1, 2024
When it comes to the importance of vessel lighting, seeing really is believing.
Marine lighting design and manufacturing is a delicate balance between aesthetic appeal, technical demands, and environmental considerations.
Seaspan didn’t have to look far to find the right lighting specialist – they turned to Glamox Canada, a global leader in marine and offshore lighting products with more than 30 years of experience designing lighting solutions for the Canadian and U.S. governments, in addition to many commercial marine and offshore projects. They supply Canadian manufactured products, with a 100% Canadian workforce.
“We’re very proud of what we do – we’re part of Canada’s shipbuilding history. While there have been good times and bad times in the industry over the last three decades, we have continued to invest throughout the slower years, maintaining the existing ships while readying ourselves to be able to fully support any future programs,” says John O’Driscoll, the General Manager for Glamox Canada.
The company’s relationship with Seaspan dates back almost 20 years, when they provided lighting solutions on the Royal Canadian Navy’s Orca-class patrol vessels that were built at Victoria Shipyards. But it was the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) that really transformed and expanded their operations. Previously, about 70 per cent of their work was based in the United States, but now up to 80 per cent of their business is with Canadian shipyards.
“The National Shipbuilding Strategy has had a substantial impact on our company and our workforce. As a result of the work underway, we have doubled the size of our manufacturing facility to accommodate a 40 per cent increase in production capacity and a 30 per cent increase in staff,” says O’Driscoll.
For Seaspan alone, they’ve been tasked with manufacturing up to 24,000 vessel lights — from advanced searchlight, helideck light and navigation light systems to lighting for accommodation areas, machinery spaces and everything in between. Their work on the Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel, Joint Support Ships, Polar Icebreaker and MPV programs involves design, manufacturing, and outfitting, all adhering to the strict requirements these complex ships demand.
Glamox has been at the forefront of innovation as marine lighting has dramatically changed over the years. Traditional incandescent and fluorescent lighting is being phased out and replaced with durable LED lighting systems that are designed and manufactured to withstand harsh environmental conditions. This state-of-the-art LED technology is safer, more energy efficient, environmentally friendly and has a longer shelf life. In order to withstand extremely harsh marine environments, including Arctic requirements, the design work involves much more than just flipping a switch.
“It’s a specialized market with specialty products and we have the expertise. We also recognize our place in the shipbuilding industry. We are proud to be the only complete marine lighting supplier with a factory and production capabilities in Canada that can provide every light requirement on board. We know that providing Canadian workers with the opportunity to help build Canadian ships is important to Seaspan,” says O’Driscoll.
And Glamox is here for the long haul.
“With our detailed design involvement in collaboration with the Seaspan team, we have intimate knowledge of the lighting systems on these new ships. Therefore, we can provide comprehensive support in Canada throughout the ship’s lifespan in terms of maintenance and obsolescence management, including any new lighting solutions that may be required in the future,” says Damian Coleman, Sales Manager for Glamox Canada.
“We’ve continuously provided lighting solutions to Canadian Navy and Coast Guard ships for well over 30 years. With the renewal of these fleets under the NSS program, we are fully committed to supporting these ships here in Canada for many decades to come.”