Marine Pilot - Kuwait

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

According to various reports, the motor vessel "Else" damaged the gate of the Kiel-Holtenau lock at 5:00 a.m. on 29 August when it entered the closed gate without a pilot.

"Analysis of reports indicates that pilot ladders (Pilot Transfer Arrangements, or PTAs) and
intentional deviations from safety procedures remain the main causes of near misses..."

The pilot plays a crucial role in the safe navigation of the vessel to her destination. Expert in the local waters, a Pilot is imperative to the Bridge Team. Berthing/un-berthing, anchoring, transiting narrow channels etc. are very specialized operations and require expertise of a very objective manner that results in efficient planning, monitoring and execution of safe passage. When a ship needs to enter or leave a harbor, marine pilots are sent aboard via a small pilot boat to safely...

Tug power has increased considerably over recent decades. Today, some ship handling tugs have a bollard pull of more than 100 tons. In addition, high tug power can be installed in ever smaller compact hulls.

This video shows how to use the TRENZ Pilot Plug with an iPad and the app Wärtsilä Pilot PRO.

Improvements to pilots’ situation awareness (SA) in maritime navigation are critical to reducing human errors, which have caused 75% to 96% of marine accidents over the last few years.

The ETA Nautical Technical Committee has worked together with the European Maritime Pilots Association in order to define a series of recommendations for tugboat captains, pilots and harbour masters which will help them optimise the energy efficiency on the tugs and the assisted vessels during harbour towage operations. These recommendations are based on 3 main principles: Planning, Cooperation and Communication.

After crossing the Atlantic Ocean and entered in the Mediterranean sea it is time to call the pilots at Chioggia/Venice, Italy.