How Cruise Ship Retrofits Will Drive Growth in Marine Lighting Demand Through 2025
As cruise tourism bounces back strongly post-pandemic, the retrofit wave is not just about decoration or passenger experience—it is creating a splash in marine lighting demand. In 2025, retrofitting of cruise ships is becoming one of the key drivers pushing the marine lighting market. Whether regulatory compulsion or passenger demand, the reasons varied behind this growth are market and technical. This article explains why cruise ship refits and marine lighting specifications are becoming more and more interconnected, what demand forecasts say, and what the stakeholders need to know.
Table of Contents
Why Cruise Ship Retrofitting Pushes Marine Lighting Demand
Regulatory Compliance & Efficiency
Cruise vessels that were built decades earlier possess lighting equipment which no longer meets today’s standards for energy efficiency, safety, or environmental performance. Regulations such as those of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) require better performance for navigation, emergency lights, and overall energy consumption. Retrofitting allows shipowners to replace older halogen, incandescent or fluorescent lamps with more efficient LED marine lighting systems, reducing power draw and improving reliability.
Operational Cost Reduction
Lighting is electrical load on a ship. Inefficient or outdated lighting equipment increases fuel usage (indirectly from generation), maintenance costs (replacement, availability of labor, downtime), and spare parts inventory. Substitution of LED, more sophisticated controls (dimming, sensors, scheduling), and selection of more durable, sea-suitable fixtures all reduce lifecycle cost.
Passenger Experience & Aesthetic Upgrades
Cruise ship passengers expect luxury, ambience, and modern design in cabins, public areas, decks, dining rooms, entertainment venues. Lighting plays a huge role here: tunable white lighting, decorative lighting, accent lights, hidden linear lighting, and mood/scene lighting are all prominent in retrofit designs. Updating lighting fixtures offers relatively high visual impact for the investment and is often part of a larger interior or exterior refurbishment.
Safety & Maintenance
Older lighting fixtures fail more frequently; water intrusion, corrosion, wire degradation, or dimness in escape/egress routes may generate serious safety risks. Retrofit allows for waterproofing, salt/spray resistance, vibration, and shock enhancement. Better lifespan of newer fixtures also reduces maintenance downtime—especially important for cruise ships looking to minimize port time and maximize sea days.
Market Forecast & Demand Projections
The marine lighting market is set to grow significantly from a baseline in 2025. According to CoherentMI:
- Market size is estimated at USD 449.8 million in 2025.
- The market is forecast to grow to USD 654.3 million by 2032, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 5.5% over 2025-2032.
- Key growth drivers include maritime tourism / cruise sector expansion, increasing retrofits & refits of existing fleets, and technological advances in lighting (especially LED) that reduce energy consumption.
Some more granular data points relevant to cruise ship retrofit:
LED lighting technologies are expected to dominate, having approximately 57.5% share of the marine lighting market in 2025.
Functional lighting—which includes navigation lights, safety lights, task/inspection lighting, emergency lighting etc.—accounts for about 65.2% of product-type demand. Decorative lighting is growing but remains a smaller share.
Among application types, commercial ships (which include cruise ships) lead in overall lighting demand due to larger scale, more varied lighting needs, and the tendency to retrofit older vessels.
These numbers indicate that cruise ship retrofits will make up a meaningful part of the growing demand, particularly for LED functional lighting, safety/emergency lighting upgrades, navigation/wayfinding lighting, and decorative/mood lighting in cabins and public areas.
Specific Data Trends from the Report
From the CoherentMI report, several trends are worth highlighting as directly relevant to cruise ship retrofits:
LED technology advances
Not only are LEDs becoming more efficient, but designers are using modular LED solutions, chip-on-board (COB) LEDs, and even wireless or occupancy-sensor controlled lighting to cut energy use.
Durability & lifespan improvements
LED lights lasting 6-10 times longer than traditional lighting reduce the frequency of replacement. Shipowners in retrofit projects look especially for lights that can tolerate harsh marine environments—salt spray, vibration, thermal extremes.
Light pollution and environmental concerns are emerging as factors
cruise ships docked or passing near sensitive marine ecosystems are increasingly under pressure to reduce upward or outward light spill. Fixtures with cut-off optics, dimmable settings, and directional lighting are more in demand.
Decorative lighting & passenger experience
cruise lines want amenities and visuals—lighting for decks, promenades, lodges, dining areas—that are eye-catching yet efficient. Retrofitting provides the opportunity to replace older decorative systems with LED, RGB(W), hidden linear lights etc.
How Retrofit in Cruise Ships Translates to Lighting Demand Growth
Putting the pieces together, here’s how cruise ship retrofit is amplifying demand for marine lighting in 2025:
| Retrofit Driver | Lighting Demand Implication |
| Regulatory upgrades & efficiency mandates | Refits require replacement of non-compliant lighting—more LED marine lighting, safety/emergency fixtures, navigation lights |
| Increased cruise deployments & schedule intensification | More hours of lighting usage → need for durable, efficient lighting that reduces fuel/electricity cost |
| Desire for enhanced guest experience | Higher demand for decorative, ambient, mood lighting, cabin fixtures with tunable color temperature, etc. |
| Safety & maintenance reduction | Demand for lights with higher IP ratings, corrosion resistance, long service life, easily replaceable/maintainable modules |
| Environmental and sustainability concerns | Lighting designs that minimize light pollution, energy consumption, and use “green” materials |
Thus, cruise ship refits are not just increasing total unit sales of lighting fixtures—they are shifting the mix toward higher spec, more expensive (in manufacturing, but more value in usage) lighting solutions. This shift drives growth both in volume (number of fixtures) and value (price per fixture, demand for higher-end designs).
Why Choose Yushuo
As cruise ship refits progress through 2025, demand for marine lighting will continue to grow. Choosing the right supplier requires consideration not only of price but also of performance, compliance, and long-term value. As a supplier and source factory with over 10 years of manufacturing experience, Yushuo is a trusted partner for global shipowners, cruise operators, and shipyards.
High-Temperature Resistant Lighting
Yushuo’s marine floodlights and marine spotlights can operate continuously in engine rooms and deck areas up to 85°C without dimming or failure. This reduces emergency replacements and avoids operational downtime, saving shipowners up to 20% in maintenance labor costs annually compared to standard marine lighting.
Corrosion and Saltwater Resistance
Yushuo’s anti-corrosion coatings and marine-grade aluminum prevent rust and salt damage for 10+ years in high-humidity, saltwater environments. This minimizes fixture replacements and lowers spare-part inventory costs, ensuring predictable long-term budgeting for procurement teams.
Energy Efficiency and Long Lifespan
Yushuo LED lights consume up to 60% less electricity than conventional marine lighting while delivering the same lumen output. Each fixture lasts 50,000+ hours, cutting replacement frequency and reducing fuel costs for onboard generators. ROI for retrofit projects can be realized in less than 2 years for mid-sized cruise ships.
Comprehensive Marine Lighting Portfolio
Shipowners and retrofit engineers can source all required lighting types from a single supplier—navigation, safety, deck, cargo, cabin, and decorative lighting—simplifying procurement, reducing shipping costs, and shortening retrofit project timelines by up to 15%.
Certifications and Compliance
All Yushuo lights come with IMO, SOLAS, and classification society approvals, eliminating the risk of regulatory non-compliance during inspections and enabling faster retrofit project approvals.
Proven Track Record in Marine Projects
Yushuo has successfully supplied lighting for over 200 retrofit projects worldwide, including cruise ships, cargo vessels, and naval ships. Procurement managers benefit from reduced supplier risk, predictable delivery, and verified performance on similar vessels.
By choosing Yushuo, shipowners and retrofitting allies acquire not just cutting-edge products but also guarantee of long-term operation stability, lower lifecycle cost, and a lighting partner committed to performance and sustainability.
Conclusion
In 2025, cruise ship retrofit and marine lighting demand are increasingly linked. Retrofitting decks, cabins, navigation systems, emergency lighting etc., is rapidly becoming a core investment for cruise operators seeking compliance, lower operating cost, and enhanced passenger experience. With the marine lighting market projected to grow from about USD 449.8 million in 2025 to USD 654.3 million by 2032 (CAGR ~5.5%) and the increasing share of LED and functional lighting, there is significant opportunity for well-positioned lighting manufacturers and suppliers.
For shipowners, getting ahead means choosing fixtures designed for performance, durability, and regulatory compliance. For suppliers, designing for retrofit, quality, and energy efficiency is likely to be rewarded. The intersection of retrofit activity and lighting demand marks an important trend in the marine industry’s journey toward sustainability, smarter design, and better guest experience.
