Prerequisites
You should already know the basic sea lights from COLREGs (Day Skipper level): masthead, sidelights, stern light, their arcs and colours, and the common day shapes such as the black ball for anchoring. You should also know what CEVNI is and why the inland ICC needs a CEVNI test, which is covered in the introductory ICC lessons. No prior inland experience is needed.
Learning Objectives
- Explain how CEVNI light strengths (ordinary, bright, strong) and arcs differ from COLREGs lights.
- Identify the lights and day marks of motorized vessels, sailing vessels and small craft under way.
- Recognise pushed convoys, towed convoys and side-by-side formations by night and by day.
- Recognise ferries that move independently and ferries that do not (cable and chain ferries).
- Read the blue cones and blue lights of vessels carrying dangerous goods and know how far to keep off.
- Identify the blue board and white scintillating light, and know what it asks of you.
- Recognise vessels with restricted manoeuvrability, vessels unable to manoeuvre, and craft that need protection from wash.
- Show the correct lights and day marks on your own boat at anchor, berthed and under way.
- Know the main inland distress and special flags.
Why inland lights are different
On the sea, COLREGs give you a small set of lights that tell you what a vessel is and what it is doing. Inland, the traffic is different: long barges, pushed convoys of six lighters, cable ferries, tankers carrying fuel or chemicals, dredgers working half across the channel. CEVNI (the European Code for Inland Waterways, published by UNECE) keeps the same basic logic as COLREGs but adds signals for these inland craft. The RYA covers the rules in G17 European Waterways Regulations and summarises them in the RYA Handy Guide to CEVNI.
The test is image based. You will be shown a set of lights or shapes and asked what vessel it is, or what you should do. Learn the patterns, not just the words.
A word of caution before you start: CEVNI is a model code. Each country turns it into its own national rules (the Rhine has its own police regulations, France its RGP and local RPP, the Netherlands the BPR, Germany the BinSchStrO, the Danube its own basic provisions). The core lights below are common to all of them, but local details differ. Always carry and check the current national rules for the waterway you are on.
Light strengths
COLREGs give visibility ranges in miles. CEVNI instead names three intensities:
| Term | Meaning | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary | Lowest intensity | Anchor lights, stern lights, small craft all-round lights |
| Bright | Medium intensity | Sidelights; masthead light of small craft |
| Strong | Highest intensity | Masthead light of large motorized vessels |
A "scintillating" light is a quick flashing light (around 40 to 60 flashes a minute in the official text, faster for "quick scintillating"). It is used to draw attention, for example on the blue board.
Day marks
Inland day marks are mostly familiar shapes (cone, ball, cylinder, bicone) but with added colours. Blue cones mean dangerous goods. Green bicones show the side to pass a working vessel. A yellow cylinder with black and white bands marks a towing vessel on many waters. Flags are also used: red flags, a red and white flag, and code flag A.
Motorized vessels under way
A single motorized vessel (not a small craft) under way at night shows:
- A strong white masthead light forward, visible over the forward 225 degrees.
- A second masthead light aft and higher, which is optional for most vessels and compulsory for vessels over 110 m.
- Bright sidelights, red to port and green to starboard, each over 112.5 degrees.
- An ordinary or bright white stern light over 135 degrees.
So far it looks like COLREGs. The difference is the scale. A 110 m barge on a river looks like a ship at sea, but it is moving in a channel 60 m wide and cannot stop quickly. When you see two masthead lights, assume a long vessel and give it plenty of room.
High speed vessels
Fast passenger craft on inland waters show, in addition to normal lights, two quick scintillating yellow lights by day and night. Treat them like a fast ferry at sea: they arrive sooner than you think.
Small craft lights
In CEVNI a small craft is a vessel under 20 m long, but not a vessel built or fitted to tow, push or move vessels other than small craft, not a vessel licensed to carry more than 12 passengers, and not a ferry. Your yacht or hire cruiser is a small craft.
Motorized small craft
A motorized small craft under way shows:
- A bright white masthead light, at least 1 m above the sidelights.
- Bright sidelights, which may be combined in one bicolour lantern at or near the bow.
- An ordinary white stern light.
Instead of the masthead and stern lights, a motorized small craft may show a single bright white all-round light, with the sidelights. Very small motor boats (under 7 m in most versions of the rules) have further simplified options. Check the national rule if you have a small tender with an outboard.
Sailing small craft
A sailing small craft under way shows sidelights and a stern light. Under 20 m these may be combined in a tricolour lantern at the masthead. A sailing small craft under 7 m may show a single ordinary white all-round light instead, and must show a second white light on the approach of other vessels if it does not have sidelights.
A sailing vessel that is also using its engine is a motorized vessel. By day, a small craft motor-sailing shows a black cone point downwards, as at sea, and by night it must show motor lights: masthead, sidelights and stern light. The tricolour is not allowed while the engine is driving you.
Rowing and other non-motorized small craft
A small craft that is neither motorized nor sailing, such as a rowing boat or canoe, shows an ordinary white all-round light. A torch or lantern shown in good time is a minimum on many waters.
Convoys
Most inland cargo moves in convoys. You must recognise them because they are long, hard to stop and cannot manoeuvre quickly.
Pushed convoys
A pushed convoy is a pusher (the vessel at the back, doing the work) with one or more lighters ahead of it, rigidly connected. At night it shows:
- Three strong white masthead lights at the bow of the leading vessel, in a triangle: two in a horizontal line and one above and between them. On very wide convoys there may be more.
- Bright sidelights at the widest part of the convoy, near the pusher.
- Three white stern lights in a horizontal line on the pusher.
- The pusher also shows its own masthead light(s).
Rule of thumb: a triangle of white lights low on the water with a large gap between them and the sidelights means a pushed convoy, which may be 180 m long or more.
Side-by-side formations
Two vessels lashed side by side show masthead lights on each vessel, sidelights on the outer sides only, and stern lights on each vessel.
Towed convoys
A motorized vessel towing others shows two strong white masthead lights, one above the other, plus sidelights. Instead of a white stern light, it shows a yellow stern light. The vessels being towed each show a bright white all-round light, and the last vessel of the tow shows stern lights. By day, the towing vessel shows a yellow cylinder with a black and a white band at the top and bottom (check the national rule; some waterways no longer require it).
| Craft | Night | Day |
|---|---|---|
| Single motorized vessel | 1 or 2 white masthead, sidelights, white stern | Nothing extra |
| Pushed convoy | Triangle of 3 white masthead lights forward, 3 white stern lights on pusher | Nothing extra |
| Towing vessel | 2 white masthead vertical, sidelights, yellow stern | Yellow cylinder with black and white bands (where required) |
| Towed vessel | 1 bright white all-round light | Yellow ball on many waters |
Ferries
Ferries cross the fairway all the time. CEVNI gives them their own signals because some are attached to a cable and cannot get out of your way.
Ferries not moving independently
A cable, chain or reaction ferry (one hauled along a cable, or swung across the river on a long cable anchored upstream) shows at night a green all-round light above a white all-round light, both at least 5 m above the water. On a longitudinal cable ferry (one swinging on a long cable anchored upstream), the leading float or boat carrying the cable shows a white all-round light. By day a ferry not moving independently may show a green ball.
The danger is the cable. A chain ferry's chains may be at or near the surface close to the ferry. A reaction ferry's cable runs upstream to an anchor or buoys. Never pass between the ferry and its upstream anchor, and never pass close astern or ahead of a cable ferry that is under way. Wait until it has reached the bank or signals clearly.
Ferries moving independently
A ferry that crosses under its own power shows the normal lights of a motorized vessel plus a green all-round light above a second green all-round light. Treat it as a vessel that will cross ahead of you, and remember that it is not a small craft even if it is short.
Sign E4 (a blue board with a white ferry symbol) marks a ferry not moving independently; a ferry symbol marks a ferry crossing in general. Read the signs on the bank as you approach a crossing.
Dangerous goods: blue cones and blue lights
Tankers and cargo vessels carrying dangerous goods show blue cones, point downwards, by day, and blue lights at night. The number tells you the type of cargo:
| Blue cones by day / blue lights by night | Cargo | Practical meaning |
|---|---|---|
| One | Flammable goods (for example fuel, gas oil) | Keep clear; no naked flames near; berth at least 10 m off |
| Two | Goods hazardous to health (toxic) | Keep clear; berth at least 100 m off |
| Three | Explosive goods | Keep well clear; berth at least 100 m off; give it room in locks |
The lights are all-round and placed so that they are visible from all directions. On a pushed convoy the signals are on the pusher or the lighter carrying the goods, as the national rules say.
The berthing distances in the table are the minimum CEVNI gives for berthing near such vessels. Locks and national rules often add more: some locks will not take small craft in the same chamber as a vessel showing two or three blue cones. If a lock keeper tells you to wait, wait.
Note that a blue cone is different from the black cone of a motor-sailing yacht. Colour matters.
The blue board and the white scintillating light
This is one of the signals most often tested. A large vessel may show, on its starboard side, a light blue board (rectangular) with a white scintillating light in it, or just the white scintillating light at night. On some waterways a blue flag is used.
It means: "I intend to pass starboard to starboard", the opposite of the normal port-to-port meeting. It is shown mainly by upstream vessels to tell the downstream vessel which side to pass. The vessel being met answers by showing the same signal if it agrees. Rules of the road (in the next lesson) explain how this works between large vessels.
For you, as a small craft, the blue board has one practical meaning: the big vessel will pass in a way you may not expect. It is going to keep to the "wrong" side of the channel. Do not cross its bow, keep well to one side and let it pass as it has planned. Small craft do not use the blue board themselves.
Vessels with restricted manoeuvrability and floating equipment at work
Dredgers, floating cranes, survey vessels and other floating equipment at work, and vessels aground or sunk, often block part of the fairway. CEVNI shows you which side is clear:
| Side of the vessel | By night | By day |
|---|---|---|
| Side where the fairway is clear (pass this side) | Two green lights, one above the other | Two green bicones, one above the other |
| Side where the fairway is obstructed (do not pass) | One red light | One red ball |
Some vessels also use the familiar COLREGs signals for restricted ability to manoeuvre: red-white-red all-round lights vertically by night, ball-diamond-ball by day. If floating equipment needs protection from wash, it also shows the wash signal described below. The rule is simple: pass on the green side, slowly.
Vessel unable to manoeuvre
A vessel that has lost steering or power and cannot manoeuvre may swing a red light at night or wave a red flag by day. It may also sound four short blasts. In some versions of the rules it shows two red all-round lights vertically by night and two black balls by day, the same as "not under command" at sea. Treat any of these as "this vessel cannot get out of your way".
Protection from wash
A vessel or floating equipment that must not be disturbed by wash shows by day a flag half red and half white (red on top), or two such flags one above the other; at night a red light above a white light. Reduce speed and make as little wash as possible as you pass. Sign A9 on the bank means the same thing for a stretch of waterway.
Vessels with priority
Some vessels are granted priority of passage at locks and bridges by the authorities (for example some passenger and emergency craft). By day they show a red pennant at the bow. Let them go first.
Police, fire and rescue
Vessels of the supervisory authorities and fire and rescue craft show a blue quick scintillating light. Expect them to be fast and to need room.
Stationary vessels: at anchor and berthed
At anchor
A vessel at anchor (other than a small craft) shows a white ordinary all-round light on the side towards the fairway, high enough to be seen from all directions; a vessel over 50 m shows a second one. By day it shows a black ball, as at sea.
A small craft at anchor shows a white ordinary all-round light where it can best be seen. By day a black ball is the safe choice even where the national rule exempts small craft that are not in the fairway.
Pushed convoys at anchor show white anchor lights on the leading vessel and on the pusher.
Berthed
Inland, most craft lie alongside a bank or pontoon. A vessel berthed in a designated berthing area out of the fairway usually shows no lights. Where a berthed vessel projects into the fairway or lies alongside the fairway in an unlit area, it shows a white ordinary light on the fairway side. Read the national rule: some waterways expect a light on any vessel moored alongside the fairway at night.
Fishing nets and anchors
Fishing gear or anchors that may obstruct the fairway are marked by a yellow float or buoy by day, or a white light by night (or a yellow light on some waters). Keep clear of floats near stationary vessels.
Flags and special signals
| Signal | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Code flag A (white and blue swallowtail), rigid, at least 1 m high | Divers down; keep well clear and slow |
| Red flag waved, or red light swung | Unable to manoeuvre, or attention required |
| Red and white flag, or red over white light | Protect from wash |
| Flag or other object waved in a circle | Distress |
| Light waved in a circle | Distress at night |
| Red rocket or red flare, orange smoke | Distress |
| Repeated long blasts or ringing of a bell | Distress |
| Red pennant at bow | Vessel with priority |
The diving flag is code flag A, as at sea, but CEVNI requires a rigid replica at least 1 m high so that it is visible without wind.
What your own boat must show
Before a trip on inland waters, check that you can show:
- Sidelights, a masthead light and a stern light (or an all-round white light with sidelights) for motoring at night.
- A tricolour or sidelights and stern light for sailing.
- A white all-round anchor light and a black ball.
- A black cone (point down) if you will motor-sail by day.
- A code flag A if you dive or snorkel from the boat.
Hire cruisers in France and the Netherlands often may not be used at night at all. Read the hire contract and national rules: many canals ban pleasure craft from moving at night.
Worked Example
Scenario 1: night on the Rhine
You are motoring upstream on a wide river at dusk in a 12 m motor yacht. Ahead you see three white lights in a triangle, low on the water, and far behind them a red and a green light. Above the red and green you see a single blue light.
- Three white lights in a triangle at the bow: a pushed convoy.
- Sidelights a long way behind: it is long, perhaps 180 m.
- One blue light: it carries flammable goods.
- You see both sidelights, so it is heading straight towards you, coming downstream.
Action: you are the small craft, so you keep out of its way. Move early to your starboard side of the fairway, stay well clear of its path, and do not plan to berth within 10 m of it later.
Scenario 2: a crossing by day
You are approaching a bend on a French river. On the bank there is a blue sign with a white ferry symbol. A ferry is in mid-stream showing a green ball. You can see a line of small buoys running upstream from it.
- The green ball shows a ferry not moving independently.
- The buoys show the line of its cable to an upstream anchor.
Action: slow down, wait downstream until the ferry reaches the bank, and never pass between the ferry and the buoys.
Scenario 3: a dredger
A vessel is working on your side of the channel. On its port side you see two green bicones, one above the other; on its starboard side a red ball. A red and white flag flies.
Pass on its port side (the green side), at minimum speed, making no wash.
Common Mistakes
- Confusing the black cone and the blue cone. Black cone point down is a motor-sailing vessel. Blue cones are dangerous goods. Colour is everything.
- Reading the blue board as "keep to the right". It means the big vessel will pass starboard to starboard. Keep clear of where it is going, not where you assume it is going.
- Mixing up green and red on a dredger. Pass the green side (two green lights or two green bicones). Red is the blocked side.
- Ignoring the cable of a ferry. A green over white all-round light means a cable ferry. Never cross its cable.
- Using a tricolour under engine. Once the engine drives you, show motor lights.
- Assuming CEVNI is the same everywhere. National rules add local signals and night navigation bans. Check the current regulations for each waterway.
Summary
- CEVNI uses COLREGs-style lights with three intensities: ordinary, bright and strong.
- Small craft are under 20 m (excluding ferries, tugs and pushers, and passenger vessels over 12 passengers) and have simplified light options.
- A pushed convoy shows three white masthead lights in a triangle forward; a towing vessel shows two white masthead lights vertically and a yellow stern light.
- A ferry not moving independently shows green over white; a ferry moving independently shows green over green.
- One, two or three blue cones or blue lights: flammable, toxic, explosive.
- The blue board with a white scintillating light means "I will pass starboard to starboard".
- Pass working vessels on the side with two green lights or two green bicones; red means obstructed.
- At anchor: white all-round light and black ball.
- Distress: waved flag or light in a circle, repeated long blasts, red flares, orange smoke.
Check Your Understanding
- What is a small craft under CEVNI?
Answer: A vessel under 20 m long, but not a ferry, not a vessel licensed for more than 12 passengers, and not a tug or pusher for vessels other than small craft.
- At night you see three white lights in a triangle low on the water ahead. What is it?
Answer: The bow of a pushed convoy. Expect a very long, slow-to-manoeuvre convoy.
- A barge shows two blue cones by day. What does it carry, and how close may you berth to it?
Answer: Goods hazardous to health. Do not berth within 100 m.
- What does a green all-round light over a white all-round light mean?
Answer: A ferry not moving independently, such as a cable or chain ferry. Do not cross its cable.
- A large vessel shows a light blue board with a white scintillating light on its starboard side. What does it intend?
Answer: To pass the vessel it is meeting starboard to starboard. As a small craft, keep clear and do not cross its bow.
- A dredger shows two green bicones on one side and a red ball on the other. Which side do you pass?
Answer: The side with the two green bicones, slowly and without wash.
- What does a towing vessel show instead of a white stern light?
Answer: A yellow stern light, together with two white masthead lights one above the other.
- What does your yacht show at anchor by night and by day?
Answer: An ordinary white all-round light by night and a black ball by day.
- A small boat is waving an orange flag in a circle. What does it mean?
Answer: Distress. Any flag or object waved in a circle is a distress signal.