Marine Pilot - Esperance

A more unique angle regarding freighter departures; I was able to film the routine disembarking of one of our local ship captains and officers after piloting Solina out of the harbor. This is a required procedure, as per US Maritime Laws, all international freighters must be piloted in and out of a US harbor by a US Captain. Here we have out local pilot vessel Sea Bear running up alongside the Solina to allow the two officers to depart the freighter before she heads out across Lake Superior

The Southern Ports Authority of Western Australia recently welcomed a new pilot boat into service.
Built by Hart Marine of Victoria, the boat has been named Wardan after the sea water off Wardandi Country, where it will also primarily operate.

Experiences from Australia: No two days are the same for a marine pilot in a busy port such as Esperance, but Mr MacAdie wouldn’t have it any other way.

Chapter 3 from the book "Crossing the Bar, The Adventures of a San Francisco Bay Bar Pilot" by Captain Paul Lobo, available on Amazon (link below)

This is how a ship Pilot boarding a vessel in calm seas.

Harbour Services Australia was the client for this ultra-efficient pilot vessel, Dongara Marine's second Berkeley Class pilot boat to operate from the port of Fremantle. Delivered in June 2019 it joined Fremantle Pilots’ Berkeley, which had already been operating with great success in the Western Australian port since 2015. Purpose-designed to maximise overall operability and the safety and comfort of pilots and crew even in demanding sea conditions, the Berkeley Class provides: • High open...

Built in 1980, the Maguelonne pilot boat, historical ship of the pilots of Sète, is getting a new look and swapping its thermal engine for a 100% electric propulsion. It is within the framework of the Green Pilot project, led by the MGH company, supported by its partners, the Occitanie Region and the Port of Sète-Frontignan, and with the participation of the pilot stations of Sète and Marseille-Fos, that the e-Maguelonne is born.
The maritime pilots lead the ships to the entrance of the...

TRENZ, a leading manufacturer from Germany, is expanding its product lineup with the launch of SIRIUS+, a high-performance Portable Pilot Unit (PPU). As an evolution of the widely recognized SIRIUS model, the new device features cutting-edge technology designed for maximum precision and reliability, particularly for use on Ultra Large Container Vessels (ULCVs).

Many of you saw the last video and we were traveling South through the canal, but this video is from our Northbound transit.
Enjoy the footage and soon I hope to be back to work again. Waiting for the results of my physical exams to clear.