Dock Master/Pilot

Spring is already here and in line with Pilot charts trends, wind and swell are starting to veer towards North East, giving us sunny days.
Perfect temperature with clear sky to go alongside on board a left-handed CPP lady

Follow me on my drone journey always in 4K see what my drone sees from above # dronearielfootage # drone video #dji drone #mini5pro #pilotboat #shippingtips PD Ports has invested over £1M into this new vessel, built by Anglesey based Holyhead Marine Services Limited, which will enable the Tees Bay Pilots to continue to assist Teesport and the Port of Hartlepool. Benefiting from the most up-to-date navigation technology and powered by twin Scania marine diesel engines, the vessel can...

Correct method of rigging pilot ladder explained.
As explained, a large number of reports related to the use of pilot ladders which are too long relative to the vessel’s draughts. As a result, the excessively long ladders require shortening up before being deployed for boarding pilots. In these cases, ship crew shortens the pilot ladders, using D-shackles to choke the side ropes at the required height along the ladder’s length. In this method, the D-shackle is first secured to a hard point...

Practical samples for manoeuvres for ships going astern - as Stern-First-Method SFM. Introduction using as sample from the Master Thesis by Karel Wiegert for an arrival manoeuvre of a cruise vessel in Southampton port with a Twin-screw vessel under strong current. The same manoeuvre with the same ship model was used to show the advantage of Fast Time Simulation FTS using the SAMMON Planning Tool. This goes much faster than the manoeuvres in the real time simulator - and it can even be...

Una nave cisterna, con l aiuto dei rimorchiatori, ormeggia in banchina.
A tanker, with the help of tugs, moors on the quay.

In my most recent article, I talked about how ports are currently faced with disruptive circumstances that severely impact the day-to-day port operations. The COVID-19 situation and blockage of the Suez Canal lead to increased operational uncertainty and a need for ports to endure the situation rather than planning the future.

As a rule, every pilot has the right to refuse an unsafe ladder. Safety first! A brave pilot is not the one who uses an unsafe ladder, but the one who, in case of doubt, asks for a different ladder or a different setting.
Unfortunately, too many pilots climb a dubious ladder when in doubt.

Pilot boat picking up two pilot crewmen from odyssey of the seas cruise ship port of civitavecchia Italy 🇮🇹