Marine Pilot

Following engagement with the New Zealand Maritime Pilots Association President, Steve
Banks, the following information is intended to provide guidance to support New Zealand’s
Maritime Pilots to carry out their critical functions.

The ISPO is a quality and safety management system produced for pilots by pilots and provides performance criteria for Risk Management, Training & Qualification, Pilot Operations, Customer Relations and Emergency Preparedness.

Cork based Safehaven Marine is most famous for dramatic videos of its boats during stormy weather sea trials. It’s ‘Interceptor 48’ are in service taking on all types of sea conditions around the world. The newest vessel the ‘Belgrano’ will be used by pilots on the River Plate estuary Montevideo, Uruguay.

Vessels are required by law to have a trained maritime pilot on board responsible for safely navigating the ship to its desired destination. However, ensuring safe navigation inside dock environments is demanding as mistakes can be extremely costly, time-consuming to correct, and even fatal. An assisting tool working autonomously to support the maritime pilot by predicting possible collisions would lower the risk involved with navigating the vessel.

The busy Strait of Messina which separates the island of Sicily from the Italian mainland is now home to a new pilot boat, manufactured by Bellcraft and powered by Volvo Penta’s Inboard Performance System (IPS).

Here’s a cool little video we made during the sea trials of ‘Belgrano’ a new Interceptor 48 pilot for Montevideo, Uruguay. We captured some really nice drone footage of her offshore in some breaking seas and alongside ship manoeuvres, testing out her pilot boarding ladder and new fender system.

Congratulations: Vicky Hérault becomes the first female maritime pilot in the port of Brest (France) in Oct 2021.

Swedish Radio News reports about major delays for shipping on Sweden's inland lakes and waterways, such as Vänern, Mälaren and Göta Älv.

Pilot recruitment has traditionally been based on seniority, and extensive sea experience. However, a more modern approach, hiring younger, motivated candidates with structured training, offers an alternative path with compelling advantages.

In 2020, the Swedish Maritime Administration, Sjöfartsverket commissioned three new pilot vessels to replace retired vessels in its Gothenburg, Marstrand, and Lysekil locations on the country’s west coast.