China: Accident caused by mass pilots quarantines

Vessels are being stranded at ports on the river due to the lack of pilots and the line-up of vessels forced to wait in the anchorage outside the estuary is increasing rapidly. Owners are unclear how long the problem will last

The United Kingdom Maritime Pilots' Association (UKMPA) has all been inundated with CV19 communications from all manner of sources in the last few weeks. Here is a condensed collection of information from the UKMPA.

Fewer vessels in voyage mean less pilotage and this means less income for many Pilots. Not every Pilot is an employee and many pilots are self-employed and organised in a brotherhood per example. They are earning only money if they are piloting a vessel. No vessel – no money.

In the last couple of years several paid as well as free tools have made it easier than ever to access vessels on a map. Although vessels shown on a map have their place, authorities and industry are understanding the greater potential and value of the underlying AIS data.

Baird Maritime has declared a winner in the Best Remote Area Pilot Boat category for 2022: "Rubani 1".

LOC, part of AqualisBraemar LOC Group, is pleased to announce it is launching a new digital solution to enhance safety of marine operations within ports and harbours.

Goodchild Marine won the order to manufacture and deliver the vessel in 2023 to increase Briggs Marine’s fleet to six ORC-class pilot boats.

Already published for the first time in September 2020: Maritime piloting operations involve on-call work schedules that may lead to sleep loss and circadian misalignment. The study documented pilot work scheduling practices.

It has been shown that a majority (51%) of pilot ladders is secured by means of D-shackles, when secured at intermediate length. Previous research (Evans, 2020) has proven that this method has only about 50% of the strength of the pilot ladder when secured at full length (“double ended ladder”), or by means of the “endless-sling” method.

The term Automatic Identification System (AIS) refers to a radio system that improves the safety and guidance of vessel traffic by exchanging navigation and other vessel data.