Coastal lighting: what summer holidays can teach us about durability

ARRE —1/8/2025— During the summer months, many people stroll along the seafront. They enjoy the breeze, the scenery… and, often without realising it, also the public lighting that lines promenades, ports, and coastal areas.

If this summer you look up at the columns and luminaires, you may notice a familiar pattern: peeling paint, rust spreading, corroded fixings, and even tilted or unlit lamp posts. This is no coincidence. The marine environment is one of the harshest for any outdoor installation.

Why the sea is an enemy of lighting

Constant humidity, salt‑laden air, and intense solar radiation combine to accelerate the deterioration of metallic materials. Chloride ions, present in sea air, are particularly aggressive: they penetrate protective coatings, initiate corrosion, and compromise both the structure and the sealing of luminaires. The result is twofold: a risk to public safety and a continuous increase in municipal maintenance costs (repainting, replacements, inspections).

The alternative: maintenance‑free durability

Today, there are solutions capable of withstanding these conditions indefinitely without deterioration. ATP Lighting uses engineering polymers (S7 and T5) that are completely immune to corrosion, with genuine IP66+ sealing across the entire enclosure and IK10+ mechanical resistance against impacts.

This design eliminates the need for repainting, varnishing, or applying anti‑corrosion treatments, keeping luminaires sealed and operational for decades, even right on the waterfront.

The importance of reliability

Choosing lighting that is unaffected by the marine environment not only avoids recurring repair and replacement costs, but also ensures that the installation will remain safe and reliable over time. The structure stays intact, with no risk of parts breaking off or electrical faults, and the system continues to deliver the same performance as on the first day.

This stability reduces the installation’s environmental footprint by minimising travel, resource use, and waste generation associated with maintenance. In addition, a 10‑year full warranty —without restrictive conditions for humidity or salinity— gives infrastructure managers the confidence of a system designed to last, even in the most demanding environments.

A tip for this summer

While walking along coastal areas, take a moment to notice the condition of the lighting. Where you see rust and deterioration, there are hidden costs being paid year after year. And where you see lamp posts and luminaires standing immaculate by the sea, free of corrosion, there is likely a deliberate technical choice prioritising durability and sustainability.