Marine: cruise ship contour lighting
The brief
A globally recognized cruise company required flexible linear lighting to highlight the architectural contours of its cruise vessels. The lighting needed to create clear, continuous blue and yellow lines that would remain visually consistent across long exterior runs.
The marine environment was the key challenge. Exposure to moisture, saltwater, salt spray, and other corrosive conditions meant that material selection was critical. The client therefore needed an LED neon solution designed for stable performance and long-term reliability in demanding outdoor and marine applications.
What we supplied
Unitop supplied TB1615 PU LED neon flex for the project, with blue and yellow selected as the primary lighting colors.
The installation was carried out in phases of roughly 330–660 ft (100–200 m) each, adding up to about 2,000 ft (600 m) of neon flex across the project.
The polyurethane construction was a key factor in the client’s decision. For lighting installed on cruise vessels, resistance to moisture, saltwater exposure, weathering, and corrosion is significantly more important than in typical indoor applications.
The TB1615’s flexible 16 × 15 mm profile also made it suitable for following the vessel’s architectural lines and curved surfaces, allowing continuous illumination to be integrated into the exterior design.
Our team worked with the client to provide a solution focused on three priorities: material durability, lighting consistency, and reliable performance in the marine environment.
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Model | UT-TB1615 PU LED neon flex |
| Bend | Top bend |
| Cable entry | Bottom entry, 5 ft (1.5 m) lead; closed end cap on the far end |
| Colors | Blue, yellow |
| Voltage | 24V DC |
| Beam angle | 120° |
| Power | 3.7 W/ft (12 W/m) |
| Cross-section | 16 × 15 mm |
| Reel length | 16 ft (5 m) |
| IP rating | IP68 |
The result
The finished installation uses blue and yellow PU LED neon flex to define the contours of the cruise vessel, creating distinctive lines of light that enhance its appearance at night.
More importantly, the PU construction provides the durability required for an application where the lighting is continuously exposed to challenging marine conditions.
The project demonstrates how the right LED neon material can be just as important as brightness, color, and appearance. For cruise ships and other marine projects, selecting a product engineered for the operating environment is essential to achieving reliable long-term performance.
