This is a hang back to the Marchioness disaster. It's supposed to make vessels more visable. Though at night I would suggest that Orange becomes Black !!!!!
I thought it was too show you the front on ferries that look the same from both ends i.e Wightlink or Red Funnel ferries.
However I am obviously very wrong!!
I'm not sure about the cross-Channel ferries but I was told that many barge wheelhouses have the orange band in case they sink on inland navigations -- more often than not they simply drop to the bottom leaving the tops of superstructures exposed. Not sure how reliable that info is though...
So why do the passenger boats on the Thames have Orange backs then? Seems that the same 'signal' has a few meanings. Recipe for confusion if not disaster.
true for passenger boats on the thames at least anyway - i beleive the rear orange stripe on the stern must be illuminated though, otherwise as you say it would be nice and black.
Most supply boats out here have dayglow orange wheelhouse roofs, I thought it was just a daytime visibility thing mainly for helicopters, during rescue operations etc. Could of course be a SOLAS reccomendation or something.
There are two reasons which were given when it was first introduced on P&O ferries. Visibility and identification. The identification came from the fact that the stripe was of a different size on each ship (where they were sisters). Thus some would have the whole bridge roof done in orange whilst others would only have a stripe.
Maybe because the top of the wheelhouse is the first thing to break the horizon. and having it painted orange makes it more likely that the modern seafarer when he glances at the horizon between chapters of whatever he happens to be reading at the time just might see it....
Its a visibility thing - especially on misty, rainy, or hazy days - not necessarily a night time aid, although with the Thames 'backlighting' is does show to some advantage.
The orange bands were introduced for all cross channel ferries in the late 60's. When there were 2 accidents off the Dover side, I think 1968 or 69, in poor visibility it was thought that the cross channel ferries were confused with traffic running through the channel. In order to identify cross channel traffic, at that time, as they did hot cross the new tss at right angles, it would assist in their identification.
The popularity of this system of marking became very successful, to include it in all day to day coastal vessel activity.