Marine Pilot Recruitment – Port of London – UK

Although it cannot be said that ship piloting is the world’s oldest profession, most maritime experts do agree that pilotage does date back to antiquity.

The vessel "ELSE" didn't stopped at the pilot station and tried to enter the closed lock without a pilot.
Following the crash on 29.08.2020, the official investigations into the accident are now beginning on site.

Such a function is also the result of hard work and at the same time an expression of high respect: Captain Erik Dalege (born 1962) is now the president of the umbrella organisation of European Pilots, EMPA for short (European Maritime Pilots Organisation).

Brief snapshot of a day in the life of a Humber marine Pilot.
This was filmed a few years ago, 2019 I think.
Some standards and best practices have changed since then, for instance I would not have my bag on my back while using the pilot ladder now, I would send it down using a heaving line.
#MarinePilot #shiphandling #pilotage #ships #timelapse #humber

• Ship name : ELKA ASTIR • L.O.A : 189 m • Max draught : 11 m • Deadweight: 49990 t • Name of Pilot : Haitham Alzahrani - Saudi Arabia

Bermuda’s Department of Marine and Port Services has returned to Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corp., for a new Chesapeake-class pilot boat. The launch will be built to Lloyd’s Register class, with delivery scheduled for early 2023. The Somerset, Mass., shipyard built a 61-foot pilot/rescue vessel for the port service in 2011.

View from the Bridge as the pilot navigates our 24,000 TEU vessel through the busy shipping channel safely to its berth. HMM thanks all the Pilots, Tug-Masters and Berthing Gangs for their important role in the safe passage of our fleet.

In this article Marine Pilot André Gaillard gives us his vision of the maritime pilotage profession of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

On Monday 29th June the school ship Amerigo Vespucci left the port of Livorno for the education campaign of the official students of the Naval Academy.
To assist the school ship also the Pilots of the Port of Livorno with the com.te Marino Biancotti.

This expert article is based on a presentation given by Capt. Pilot Sven Stemmler at the MCN's (Maritimes Cluster Norddeutschland e. V. ) event ‘On the Future of the Pilot Profession’ at Fraunhofer CML in Hamburg on 9 September 2025.