Senior Lecturer Ship Handling

Original article published on Baird Maritime

Irish builder Safehaven Marine has delivered a new pilot boat ordered by the Port of Sines in southwestern Portugal near the country’s capital of Lisbon.

The Dutch freighter "Eemslift Hendrika", which was in distress at sea, was secured on Thursday night. Salvage crews succeeded in boarding the ship and connecting it to two tugboats. This was announced by the Norwegian Coastal Administration. It will now be towed to the harbour of the Norwegian city of Ålesund.

Marine pilot boarding ship A marine pilot, also called maritime pilot, harbor pilot, port pilot, ship pilot, or simply pilot, is a mariner who maneuvers ships through dangerous or congested waters, such as harbors or river mouths. They are navigational experts possessing knowledge of the particular waterway, licensed or authorised by a recognised pilotage authority. When a ship needs to enter or leave a harbor, marine pilots are sent aboard via a small pilot boat to safely navigate the...

It has been shown that a majority (51%) of pilot ladders is secured by means of D-shackles, when secured at intermediate length. Previous research (Evans, 2020) has proven that this method has only about 50% of the strength of the pilot ladder when secured at full length (“double ended ladder”), or by means of the “endless-sling” method.

Built in 1980, the Maguelonne pilot boat, historical ship of the pilots of Sète, is getting a new look and swapping its thermal engine for a 100% electric propulsion. It is within the framework of the Green Pilot project, led by the MGH company, supported by its partners, the Occitanie Region and the Port of Sète-Frontignan, and with the participation of the pilot stations of Sète and Marseille-Fos, that the e-Maguelonne is born.
The maritime pilots lead the ships to the entrance of the...

The "Sea Bear", (ex "Narrows") was built in 1959 in Massachusetts for use as a pilot boat in New York. Ed Montgomery, at Sea Service, LLC, bought her and brought her to the Twin Ports in September, 2002.

When a vessel navigates in confined waters, such as in a harbour or narrow channel, it is well known among experienced pilots that the ship handling is greatly affected by the hydrodynamic forces and moments acting between ship and bank or sidewall of the channel.