Pilot Cutter Coxswain/Master

pilot boat handoff from the carnival breeze September 17th 2019

Over the course of 4 days this August, I was afforded the opportunity and privilege of riding with the Savannah Bar Pilots for an article I was writing for a major maritime magazine. The pilots are given the responsibility of boarding a vessel in the Atlantic Ocean and safely navigating the vessel up the Tybee Road 9 (a name for the shipping lane that leads into the Savannah River), into the Savannah River, and into the Port of Savannah. The same is done in reverse when a ship is outbound...

NTSB issued an investigation report on the contact of tow William C with a Rock Island railroad bridge protection cell, on Des Plaines River, in January 2020. The investigation established that high speed prevented the pilot to correct the tow’s position after completing the transit through the previous bridge.

Watch this video to get a behind-the-scenes look into training aboard our Pilot Cutter with Alexandra Pearson, Marine Operations Assistant at Shoreham Port.

According to a report from the Maritime-Executive.com the Crescent River Port Pilots Association wants to raise the pilotage fee.

The Port of Milford Haven – the biggest port in Wales and largest energy port in the UK – will trial Zelim’s Swift rescue conveyor on its operational pilot vessels. The port may also utilise this technology on its new pilot vessel, which is currently in the final stages of contract award.

Boat builder Metal Shark has delivered a 55’ x 17’ welded aluminum pilot boat to the Pascagoula Bar Pilots Association in Mississippi.

The seaport of Nouakchott, Mauritania, is experiencing problems related to wind and swell, risks of grounding due to unreliable berth depths, harbour infrastructure damage claims, an acceptance of the vessel's draught survey figures and shortage claims.

Currently, several means of transport are undergoing an accelerated development towards automation and automated movements. This development will also impact future ship handling with tugs. A glimpse into the future of tug boat operation.