Sabik M650H Lanterns Showing the Way on the Canals of Venice
Venice is a city like no other—an intricate network of canals replacing roads, where boats form the backbone of everyday transport. When a major public transport boathouse required precise, all-weather guidance for its vessel fleet, Sabik M650H lanterns were selected to deliver safe and reliable navigation in one of the world’s most iconic waterways.
Background & Challenge
With 117 islands, 177 canals, and over 400 bridges, Venice is one of the most unique urban environments in the world—and Europe’s largest car-free city. Boats serve as the primary mode of transport for both people and goods, making clear and reliable waterway navigation essential.
In 2016, Venezia Tronchetto Real Estate srl began a project to support a new boathouse for the ACTV public transport fleet. This facility—known as the New ACTV Boathouse—generates a high volume of two-way traffic in its surrounding canal. The waterway is both long and wide, requiring precisely marked lanes to reduce the risk of collision and ensure continuous vessel movement.
Specific challenges included:
- Navigational clarity for arrival and departure lanes using the same canal
- Frequent fog and high humidity in winter, reducing visibility
- Limited sunlight during winter months, requiring reliable battery autonomy
- Integration into Venice’s historically protected and visually sensitive environment
Solution for High-Traffic Canal Marking – Sabik M650H Lanterns with Color-Coded Guidance
Sabik’s Italian distributor Heliant srl proposed the M650H self-contained solar LED lantern—a compact, environmentally friendly unit with a steady light and minimum 1NM visibility.
To enhance spatial clarity, lanterns were:
- Positioned every 50 metres along the canal
- Colour-coded for intuitive visual guidance
- Yellow lanterns marked the external navigation channel
- Red lanterns indicated two boathouse access points
The lanterns were installed in August 2016, with some mounted on tall wooden poles typical of the Venice lagoon. The M650H’s autonomous design and robust battery storage ensured year-round performance, even under cloudy and foggy winter conditions.
Outcome: Sabik M650H Lanterns Bring Long-Term Visibility to Venice’s Floating Transport Network
Thanks to efficient coordination between Sabik, Heliant srl, and the project stakeholders, the canal marking system was installed quickly and smoothly. The M650H lanterns have since enhanced the safety and efficiency of vessel movements in and out of the ACTV boathouse.
Roberto Trevisiol from Venezia Tronchetto Real Estate srl commented:
“I am very satisfied with how the project was conducted. We got the installation done easily in a very short time.”
Marco Vavalà from Heliant srl added:
“This was an interesting high-tempo project in a historically remarkable environment—the floating city of Venice. It took only a couple of months from the proposal to the installation phase, and now the M650H lanterns have lightened up this winter and will continue many years to come.”
