Ship Report Podcasts: Pilot boats - a special breed

Unedited video of Ketchikan harbor pilots being offloaded onto Ovation of the Seas in July 2026...filmed from the wing accessed via the Solarium.

Sometimes we’re lucky enough to launch two pilot boats around the same time, giving us the opportunity to undertake rough weather sea trials with them together, and capture some great drone footage of them running alongside. This time we flew two drones from the boat at the same time with both Kenny and my son Jack flying them, which was pretty cool and luckily they didn’t crash into each other!

The Alusafe 1620 Pilot is a special designed Pilot Vessel. The vessel is designed for harsh weather in open seas as well as in sheltered waters with high marine traffic.

Artemis Technologies, a pioneering leader in the development of innovative maritime technologies, is proud to unveil the design of its ground-breaking Artemis EF-12 Pilot.

A more unique angle regarding freighter departures; I was able to film the routine disembarking of one of our local ship captains and officers after piloting Solina out of the harbor. This is a required procedure, as per US Maritime Laws, all international freighters must be piloted in and out of a US harbor by a US Captain. Here we have out local pilot vessel Sea Bear running up alongside the Solina to allow the two officers to depart the freighter before she heads out across Lake Superior

A recent case reported by the International Transport Intermediaries Club (ITIC) underscores how a seemingly minor oversight can lead to significant costs.

In Novorossiysk (Russia, Black Sea), a marine pilot died during a pilot transfer and an investigation has been launched. The incident occurred on the evening of 14 March at about 21:40.