33 CFR § 149.550 - What are the requirements for lights on a floating hose string?

---
identifier: "/us/cfr/t33/s149.550"
source: "ecfr"
legal_status: "authoritative_unofficial"
title: "33 CFR § 149.550 - What are the requirements for lights on a floating hose string?"
title_number: 33
title_name: "Navigation and Navigable Waters"
section_number: "149.550"
section_name: "What are the requirements for lights on a floating hose string?"
chapter_name: "COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY"
subchapter_number: "NN"
subchapter_name: "DEEPWATER PORTS"
part_number: "149"
part_name: "DEEPWATER PORTS: DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, AND EQUIPMENT"
positive_law: false
currency: "2026-03-24"
last_updated: "2026-03-24"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
authority: "33 U.S.C. 1504, 1509; DHS Delegation No. 00170.1, Revision No. 01.4."
regulatory_source: "USCG-1998-3884, 71 FR 57651, Sept. 29, 2006, unless otherwise noted."
cfr_part: "149"
---


# 149.550 What are the requirements for lights on a floating hose string?

Hose strings that are floating or supported on trestles must display the following lights at night and during periods of restricted visibility:

(a) One row of yellow lights that must be:

(1) Flashing 50 to 70 times per minute;

(2) Visible all around the horizon;

(3) Visible for at least 2 miles (3.7 km) on a clear, dark night;

(4) Not less than 1 or more than 3.5 meters (3 to 11.5 feet) above the water;

(5) Approximately equally spaced;

(6) Not more than 10 meters (32.8 feet) apart where the hose string crosses a navigable channel; and

(7) Where the hose string does not cross a navigable channel, there must be a sufficient number to clearly show the hose string's length and course.

(b) Two red lights at each end of the hose string, including the ends in a channel where the hose string is separated to allow vessels to pass, whether open or closed. The lights must be:

(1) Visible all around the horizon;

(2) Visible for at least 2 miles (3.7 km) on a clear, dark night; and

(3) One meter (3 feet) apart in a vertical line with the lower light at the same height above the water as the flashing yellow light.