Tuesday, October 1st is the start date of the latest International Maritime Pilot Association's annual Safety Campaign.

Previous campaigns by the association have consistently shown results of pilot ladder deficiencies around the 20% mark.

On August 5, 2020 at approximately 10:30 pm, Sandy Hook Pilot Captain Timothy M. Murray was involved in an incident while boarding a tanker vessel inbound to the Port of New York & New Jersey. He sustained injuries after falling from a pilot ladder and was evacuated to a local hospital where his injuries proved to be fatal.

Pilot transfer arrangement is a sensitive topic to be discussed among the pilot’s fraternity. Although ships are designed and operated with compliance to the SOLAS requirements in all respects including the pilot transfer arrangements, there has been numerous deficiencies observed related to pilot transfer arrangements. The small deficiencies from the part of ships cause life threatening accidents for pilots and sometimes to the ship staff themselves. There are many instances of defective ladder and complacency in proper rigging of ladders has been reported almost every day in different parts of the world. Many pilots lost their life, severely injured for life and face many minor to major accidents. The latest incident being the Capt. Timothy Murray of Sandy hooks Pilot.

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IMPA received the 2022 SAFETY4SEA Initiative Award for conducting annually its ‘Pilot Ladder Safety Campaign’ with the objective of reporting pilots’ experiences of ladders and boarding equipment to the IMO and the wider shipping community.

Another accident was reported on YouTube on Feb. 3rd 2020 by akif pradias.
"This video shown how's hwalein pilot got accident while boarding the vessel, its teach us to be more carefully during pilot transfer..."

All five crew of pilot vessel POLLUX PILOT VESSEL, Dutch Pilotage Service, came up with positive test after self-testing on 9 January 2022.

TOKYO-Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd., together with its two group companies and the following consortium partners, today announced the completion of a successful sea trial of autonomous sailing using a large commercial coastal car ferry, in a voyage from the Tomakomai Port, Hokkaido Prefecture to the Oarai Port, Ibaraki Prefecture.

Pilot Vessel "COMETA" #CanalAccesoAPuertoLaPlata #pilotstation #pilotboat  #LaPlataHarbour #LanchasDelEste #BuenosAiresProvince #Argentina/ 15.12.2021. This video shows the Pilot Vessel "COMETA" inside the #CanalAccesoAPuertoLaPlata when she arrived at #PilotStation #LanchasDelEste #LaPlataHarbour #BuenosAiresProvince #Argentina. The video was filmed by @ultrabarqueros You can watch the full video by clicking on the following Link: / Puedes ver el video apretando en el siguiente Link:...

The Supmar series of Camarc pilot boats building in Brazil. The expanding range now includes models at 12m, 13.5m and 16m with further size options in the pipeline.