Winter Edition of the BPC Pilotage Quarterly published

Yesterday (June 29, 2023) marks the 5-year anniversary since Redwise secured the future of the Deep Sea Pilots and Offshore VTS Pilots after the takeover from Royal Dirkzwager in 2018.

The busy Strait of Messina which separates the island of Sicily from the Italian mainland is now home to a new pilot boat, manufactured by Bellcraft and powered by Volvo Penta’s Inboard Performance System (IPS).

Container ship TIGER MAANSHAN contacted berthed container ship (unidentified) and struck gantry crane while mooring at Hai An Port, Hai Phong, Vietnam, on Aug 10. Both ships sustained slight damages, understood container ship contacted by TIGER MAANSHAN left port on schedule. Gantry crane of German production, installed in 2012, is said to sustain serious damages. As of Aug 19, TIGER MAANSHAN was still berthed at Hai An Port.
Container ship TIGER MAANSHAN, IMO 9913559, dwt 26177, built 2022,...

This lady came into port in an excellent day, however when I inspected the pilot ladder prior to board I saw that it was rigged using D-Shackles fastened between the side ropes, transferring all the weight and load of the ladder to the clamps and chokes. Truly an unsuitable method of securing the ladder. Retrieval line was also not above the first spreader
After pulling out the pilot boat, the ship was contacted by VHF and the captain was asked to instruct the crew in the usage of ropes and...

Produced by Safehaven Marine

One of the biggest ships in the world, 23,000+ TEU container ship MSC MIA, reportedly contacted gantry crane while leaving container terminal at Valencia.

The first-known chart of the Mersey estuary was dated 1689 – to assist sailors approaching the port. The route for ships through to the port of Liverpool, through sand banks and the powerful tides of the Irish Sea and Mersey Estuary, was a challenging business.

Flying from Shortlands, following the beautiful HM Orc 181 "Nepean" Flying to the very edge of VLOS helped by the elevated position in the carpark, also helped by a good strong coffee from Hesse St! Little known fact, when I was a small child I went out in the Pilot boat from (dad recalls) Gem Pier in Williamstown! I only remember being a bit scared and that's about it. Learn about the Port Phillip Sea Pilots here - https://www.ppsp.com.au/story/ Learn more about the pilot boat here:...