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.

Take a ride!
On the "EDDAFJORD" it goes in time-lapse through the Great Sea Lock in Emden down the Ems. Video courtesy of the captain.

This study presents a novel decision support process for a pilot dispatching problem in the St. Lawrence River. It integrates a comprehensive set of time-based performance measures, including working time, waiting time, and skill level differences, to optimize fairness and operational efficiency in pilot dispatching.

The maritime industry has long been a domain of tradition, resilience, and technical excellence. But if we look at its human makeup, particularly with regards to maritime pilotage, one question glares us in the face with uncomfortable clearness: where are the women?

Article by Seyed Behbood Issa-Zadeh & Claudia Lizette Garay-Rondero

APA says: “Pilots share NOAA’s goal of protecting the North Atlantic right whale, but this is the wrong approach.”

Local Harbour Pilot boat in choppy sea at Ramsgate Kent England, filmed on 2.4.25

For nearly 150 years, the Bar Pilots have protected our environment by safely guiding ocean-going vessels through our waterways.