Welcome to IFAN

Welcome to the website of the only independent lighthouse authority in the world. The International Foundation for Aids to Navigation (IFAN) is a registered UK charitable company headquartered in London (UK), with an operating division based in the Middle East Gulf, the Middle East Navigation Aids Service (MENAS). IFAN’s objectives are the promotion of safety at sea and the promotion of the marine environment in the Middle East and worldwide by all charitable means including directly or indirectly by providing and maintaining navigation aids, safety systems and safety information; promoting the use of modern navigation techniques and procedures and other essential maritime skills; and protecting and improving all aspects of the marine environment.

IFAN fulfils its objectives through funding of activities worldwide. IFAN and MENAS’s history began in 1911 and we have come a long way since those early days of the Persian Gulf Lighting Service. Hopefully, you will see the current activities carried out by IFAN, and our branch, MENAS, and discover our unique place in the world of maritime navigation.

To find out more about IFAN’s funding eligibility criteria please download our guidelines document here.

Supporting the maritime community

IFAN fulfils its objectives by funding global activities related to the promotion of safety of life at sea and the protection of the marine environment. The support that IFAN provides to the global maritime community is centred around three main areas: Safety and Environment, MENAS activity and Capability Enhancement. A list of past and currently funded activities can be found here. IFAN is open to consider new activities to support the maritime community which are in line with its objectives. IFAN's funding criteria can be found here. To submit a funding proposal, please contact IFAN.

Safety and Environment

Enhancing maritime safety and protecting the marine environment through the provision of international standard Aids to Navigation (AtoN) is the core to IFAN’s mission.

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MENAS

MENAS is IFAN’s operating branch in the Middle Eastern Gulf. The operation of 54 Aids to Navigation assets and marine safety information for the region are coordinated from MENAS’s base in Bahrain.

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Capability Enhancement

Twinned with the provision of Aids to Navigation (AtoN) is the use, operation, and provision of capability enhancement through training and education. IFAN ensures that global standards are followed.

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Latest News

MENAS Green Credentials Grow with Solar System Project

MENAS Green Credentials Grow with Solar System Project

The Middle East Navigation Aids System (MENAS), a subsidiary of IFAN, has underlined its commitment to the environment and renewable energy by investing in a solar power project that will save up to 90% of its electricity power consumption. The Photovoltaic (PV) Solar System will take over five months to construct and will be installed …

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First Board Meeting

First Board Meeting

The International Foundation for Aids to Navigation (IFAN) held its first board meeting of 2023 this month at the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) headquarters in France, after accepting their kind offer to host. IFAN contributes to a number of maritime organisations, through education and funding of global Aids …

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IALA Visits London Headquarters

IALA Visits London Headquarters

It’s been a busy beginning of the year for IFAN as it started with a visit from Omar Erikkson, International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) Deputy Secretary-General and Dean of IALA World-Wide Academy, to IFAN’s Headquarters in London, for a meeting with CEO, Peter Stanley, and Development Manager, Francesca Pradelli. …

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