IMPA open letter - Crew exchange in times of corona

The Seminar aims to inform Member States, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations in consultative status with IMO about the societal value of maritime pilots and pilotage as a public service. The IMO Secretary-General has recognised maritime pilots as having always been vital to ensuring the safety of navigation in key ports and shipping lanes globally and playing a crucial role in sustaining the global supply chain using specialized knowledge and expertise....

There are many things in both our everyday and professional lives which we take for granted and never question the origins of, an example of this might be the IMPA recommended ‘pilot mark or pilot line’, which is sometimes seen on the side of vessels indicating where a vessels freeboard exceeds 9 metres.

An information sheet for marine pilots about novel coronavirus. Published by the Australian Government - Department of Health

The chairman of the Suez Canal Authority has suggested a possible mistake by the captain of the Ever Given could have led to the grounding of the giant container ship in the waterway last month.

The Puget Sound Pilots have captured what other businesses have done: create a comprehensive dedicated maternity plan that can be a model for others.

Fosen Yard AS has built a semi-closed fish farm construction with a diameter of 160m and a depth of 20m.
The second half ring of this construction has left Emden on Friday.

The breakaway and subsequent grounding of oil products tanker CSC Friendship in the Port of Brisbane highlights that port infrastructure and associated shipping can be exposed to dynamic hazards, which includes the inherent uncertainty of extreme weather forecasts.

"Out of control" container ship prompts temporary closure of Ravenel Bridge; remains anchored outside Charleston Harbor

harbor pilots disembarking in Hong Kong
container ships - IKARIA and YM Excellence

Article and pictures by Captain W J M Hargreaves, Retired Southampton Pilot