Article

One small step… for maritime safety

published on 7 July 2022 - 86 -

Show comment section |

Text and picture by Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB)

The MAIB’s Annual Report published in June highlighted the issue of unsafe pilot ladders, a concern that has been regularly voiced by the industry. In 2021, the branch received almost 200 reports about substandard pilot ladders. Of those, 87% of the ladders were rigged incorrectly (top image) and the remainder were observed by the marine pilot as being materially defective (Figure 1). Fortunately, serious accidents have been rare, but the potential for injury and even loss of life clearly exists.

Read the whole article here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/one-small-step-for-maritime-safety

What's your opinion on this?

Article Jacobsen Pilot Service and Los Angeles Pilot Station publish notice to all ships

published on 15 August 2020

Jacobsen Pilot Service and Los Angeles Pilot Station published a notice to all ships to inspect pilot ladders before the pilot boards.

Reason is an incident happened at the port of long beach in July 2020. Pilot ladder rope broke while the pilot was on the ladder - luckily the pilot was able to hold on.

Article New Pilot Ladder Magnet Is Switchable

published on 29 June 2021

On the back of the long-standing success of the Yellow-Mag ll Pilot Ladder Magnet worldwide, Serpent & Dove—Applied Magnetics is introducing its patented Yellow-Mag lll Switchable Pilot Ladder Magnet.

Video Pilot Ladder Safety Webinar by The Nautical Institute

published on 12 May 2022

The Nautical Institute (NI) and the International Maritime Pilots’ Association (IMPA) have been concerned for many years at the needlessly high rate of Pilot Ladder casualties. The NI is continuously reminded of the problem from its Members and through its Mariners’ Alerting and Reporting Scheme (MARS). The issue features frequently in our publications, and we recently dedicated an edition of our award winning magazine The Navigator to the topic, emphasising the importance of good...

Video Pilot Boat Turnstone Leaving And Returning to Heysham

published on 27 July 2023

Pilot boat Turnstone leaving the Port of Heysham, then returning later on. Short video of her going and coming into port. Type of vessel Pilot boat Owners Peel Ports, Port of Liverpool Builders Safehaven Marine LOA 14.7m Beam 4.4m...

Video Loud & Clear COMM while berthing vessels

by Nasir Khan - published on 25 April 2022

A video by Capt. Pilot Nasir Khan, Pakistan
Why loud and clear communication is very important.

Article Maersk and Svitzer to Develop Fuel Cell Tug Powered by Green Methanol

published on 11 November 2021

Svitzer, A.P. Moller - Maersk’s world leading towage operator, today unveiled plans to introduce the world’s first fuel cell tug boat for harbour towage operations.

Risk analysis of collision accidents during underway STS berthing maneuver through integrating fault tree analysis (FTA) into Bayesian network (BN)

Article Risk analysis of collision accidents during underway STS berthing maneuver through integrating fault tree analysis (FTA) into Bayesian network (BN)

by Capt. Mustafa Sökükcü and Cenk Sakar - published on 3 May 2023

This research paper could be useful tool for marine pilots as well during the risk analysis of STS manoeuvrings. In light of the findings of the research, STS manoeuvres may be effectively planned in order to improve overall safety and avoid the unexpected incidents. On the other hand, there is a dearth of literature on STS operation. As a result, this work has a significant input on the current literature.

Video Wind drift making headway - practical experiments for voyage planning and Rule of Thumb

published on 7 April 2021

Another good explaining video from Knud Benedict, ISSIMS

Article Insurer Pays Out After Port Agent Fails to Book Pilot

published on 13 May 2025

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