What happened?

A powerful green laser was aimed at a vessel. The laser dazzled the crew on the bridge causing distress and discomfort. One of the crew members on the bridge had the laser pointed directly at his eyes and felt pain following the exposure. The pain stopped shortly after, however, he felt that his vision became "cloudy and blurred".

Causes

On the news, we hear and read about people playing with laser pointers, often green laser pointers. There have been several plane-related incidents where pilots have been pointed at with a laser. The discomfort and the consequences for the person being hit by the laser beam are either not known or not a hindrance to people trying this out.

Moreover, we have received information about powerful lights at installations and fish farms from vessels sailing in fjords and along the shore. This can be a nuisance to many seafarers. It can pose a threat to the safety of a voyage and be hazardous to navigators.

Consequences

The incident did not have any consequences other than some discomfort at the time. The incident could have posed a risk to the safety of navigation if the green laser light had persisted or hit more directly. Additionally, this could have caused a severe eye injury to the person hit by the laser light.

Persons using laser pointers from shore often think of this as harmless fun without giving any thought to the possible consequences. Bright light at installations and fish farms often serve a purpose. However, this may also have unintentional consequences for vessels in the vicinity.

Advice

We encourage everyone who experience green laser incidents or other laser incidents to report it to the police. There may be a ban on the use of laser pointers. Specify time and place when reporting an incident to make it easier for the police to find out where the light comes from and to take the necessary measures.

Lights in the fairway that might be disturbing for a safe voyage should also be reported to the proper authorities, e.g. the Norwegian Coastal Administration, the municipality, the port authority or the police.

Legislation/links:

Regulations on radiation protection and use of radiation (Radiation Protection Regulations) – see section 10

Laser classes (in Norwegian) – Laser safety (in English) – Hand in your laser pointer to the police (in Norwegian)