Article

Ship Report Podcasts: Pilot boats - a special breed

published on 6 November 2021 - 56 -

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Today a look at a special vessel that is commonly seen on the Astoria waterfront: the pilot boat that takes pilots to and from passing ships. These boats are specially designed for demanding work that other boats avoid at all costs – coming in contact with the hull of a moving ship, and transporting pilots safely as they do a dangerous job.

Pilot Boats

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Video Pilot Boat NANIWA (Japan)

published on 15 October 2025

NANIWA　(Pilot Vessel) IMO: - MMSI: 431007094 Call Sign: - Flag: Japan [JP] AIS Vessel Type: Other Gross Tonnage: - Deadweight: - Length Overall x Breadth Extreme: 18m × 4m Year Built: - Status: Active Voyage Info https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:3738287/mmsi:431007094/vessel:NANIWA

Article St Johns Bar Pilots Order New Launch from Gladding-Hearn

published on 1 March 2023

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation, has taken an order from the St. Johns Bar Pilots for a high-speed launch, based on the successful 40’ Resilient Class pilot boat introduced in 2005. Delivery to the Florida-based pilots is scheduled for mid-2024.

Video How to Launch a Pilot Boat–Behind the Scenes at Point Hope Shipyard

published on 20 June 2025

Welcome to Point Hope Shipyard in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. In this video, I follow the float off of the Pacific Navigator, a hardworking pilot boat that serves the Port of Victoria and Ogden Point. We watch as the vessel is pulled along the marine railway, rotated on the turntable, and positioned onto the cradle. Once secured, the cradle lowers to float-off depth, and the Pacific Navigator fires up her engines for a short harbour spin before returning to duty. Some segments,...

Video Pilot Boat - River Boyne - 2022

published on 10 March 2022

Video River Tyne - Pilot Boat "Hadrian" / Fishing Boat / NAVY P2000 Vessel

published on 8 September 2021

HADRIAN (IMO: 9222259) is a Pilot Ship that was built in 2000 (21 years ago) and is sailing under the flag of United Kingdom.
Her length overall (LOA) is 16.13 meters and her width is 5.3 meters.

Video Pilot boarding LAGARFOSS inbound to Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada

published on 12 November 2021

#halifax #pilotboat #halifaxnovascotia #novascotia #ship #shipping #sailor #sailorslife #seafarer #seafarers #ships #ocean #canada #boat #boats #atlanticocean #lifeatsea #sea #marinepilot #mariners #containership

Video Another female pilot in Singapore

published on 31 May 2021

Meanwhile, female pilots are more and more common.

Video Berthing alongside ice is not easy

published on 4 March 2021

North East Approach to Eydehavn were covered with ice. Navigation and maneuvering required skills and knowledge to bring the vessel safely alongside

Article IMPA Safety Campaign 2025 starts on 16th of May!

by IMPA - International Maritime Pilots’ Association - published on 15 May 2025

The IMPA Safety Campaign will take place from 16th to 30th May 2025. We encourage all maritime pilots to take part, as your contribution is essential to the success of the campaign!

Article Is the 26,000 TEU container vessel coming now?

by Frank Diegel - published on 12 January 2020

The last month Jan Tiedemann from Alphaliner (BRS) in Hamburg has reported, that DNV GL has awarded Hudong Zhonghua Shipbuilding (group) Co., Ltd. an approval in principle for the design of an LNG-powered 25,000 TEU container vessel. Based upon the reported vessel dimensions, he reckons that the ship could actually have a capacity closer to 26,000 TEU.