Glamox launches new wildlife and turtle-friendly marine lights

Oslo, Norway, 7. May 2025:  Glamox, a world leader in lighting, has launched new wildlife and turtle-friendly versions of some of its most popular LED marine luminaires. The new amber-coloured lights, for use on the exterior of vessels and onshore coastal facilities, are designed to limit the impact of lighting on nesting turtles and their hatchlings.

Turtles outlived the dinosaurs and have existed for more than 200 million years. Yet today, their population is in decline. With around half of all species threatened with extinction, they are one of the most endangered groups in the animal world. The reasons for the decline are numerous. They include poaching and overharvesting, habitat destruction, climate change, and bycatch.

Adult turtles nest and hatchlings normally emerge on beaches at night. Bright lights on coastal-facing buildings and vessels can screen out the moon and stars, removing the dark shade of dunes and the brightness of the ocean that hatchlings need to navigate their way to the sea. Also, bright artificial lights often deter adult females from nesting on the beach, resulting in fewer nests.

"There is growing awareness of the need to preserve night skies and protect wildlife," said Marlon Iversen, Product Manager for Exterior Lighting at the Marine, Offshore & Wind Division of Glamox. "We know that long-wavelength light, such as amber-coloured light, is less disruptive to wildlife and turtles than blue-white light. This is because moonlight is relied upon to guide the turtle hatchlings towards the safety of the sea.

"We've taken a few of our best-selling LED marine lights and made amber light versions at a wavelength of around 600 nanometres, which is ideal for turtles. The lights are designed for the exterior of vessels and coastal facilities and include our MIR G2 and MAX G2 explosion-proof luminaires.  We also have LED Kits which allow customers to keep the housing of their existing luminaire and upgrade their lights to be wildlife and turtle friendly."

Growing environmental awareness and guidance from authorities have seen the emergence of a market for amber turtle-friendly lighting, particularly in Asia and Australasia. Glamox has already sold some of its new lights for vessels working off coastal waters in Australia.

For more information, please contact:

Neil Pattie, Glamox Corporate Communications, Tel: +44 7784 086530, Email:neil.pattie@glamox.com

Silje Grip Glamox Marketing, Phone: +47 712 46339, E-mail: Silje.Kristin.Grip@glamox.com

Lighting for Hazardous areas

The Amber wildlife and turtle-friendly MAX G2 lighting is available for hazardous areas in an Ex Zone 1 /21 and Zone 2/22 versions.

How the amber light is created

The amber light is created by using a special 'opalic diffuser' that produces a soft light with reduced glare. The opalic diffuser, which is shaped to avoid light spillage, sits between the LED light source and the outer diffuser. The result is soft amber light, at a wavelength of around 600 nanometres, which is good for turtles.  

Best Practise

It's not just the colour of the light that is important, but also how the lights are positioned. What follows is some best practice advice.

• If possible, don't illuminate beaches where turtles are known to nest.
• When lights are needed, position them low to the horizon. Shielding helps direct the light down to the ground. The light source should not be visible.
• The wattage and lumens should also be low. Avoid floodlights and spotlights. Use low-intensity light amber or red lighting. Sea turtles are less disturbed by long wavelengths of light.
• If possible, during nesting and hatching seasons, turn off the lights that spill onto beaches between 7 pm and midnight. Light management systems can be used to control and dim lighting automatically and remotely.

About Glamox AS

Glamox AS is a leading lighting company that provides quality energy-efficient lighting for professional buildings in Europe and the world's marine, offshore, and wind markets. Our mission is to provide sustainable lighting solutions that improve the performance and well-being of people. We are committed to achieving net-zero operations by 2030.

Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, Glamox AS is privately owned by Triton and Fondsavanse and is a subsidiary of GLX Holding AS. Glamox AS employs around 2,100 professionals with sales and production in Europe, Asia, and North America. In 2024, its annual revenues were NOK 4,487 million. It owns a range of quality lighting brands, including Glamox, Aqua Signal, ES-SYSTEM, Küttel, LINKSrechts, LiteIP, Luminell, Luxo, Luxonic, MARL, Norselight, and Wasco. For more information, please see www.glamox.com