Pilot / Berthing Master

If you wrote an interesting article yourself or made great photos or video recordings that you would like to make permanently accessible to the large Marine Pilots Community here, send it to us!

In our new new section “Five questions for ..." Marine-Pilots.com introduces pilots and other market players to our readers in short interviews.

Today we are happy to start with Capt. Ahmed Sati, Marine Pilot at P&O Maritime.

The first of three Watercat 160 Pilot was delivered to the Finnish Finnpilot Pilotage Ltd. in spring 2022. This PILOT boat has a self-righting ability as well as the ability to sail in surface ice of up to five centimetres thick. It can also be operated in deeper offshore waters to accommodate transfers of pilots to deeper-draught ships. The Watercat 160 Pilot can operate even in more restrictive inner harbour waters. The bow has D-type rubber fendering while the hull sides are equipped...

In April, 25 percent fewer ships on the German Kiel Canal (NOK) - and things could get even worse. It seems that the exemplary situation at the NOK certainly affects many other channels in the world in a similar way.

There are some problems that never seem to go away and one is the perennial difficulties in providing a safe way of getting pilots on and off a ship.

This expert article is based on a presentation given by Capt. Pilot Sven Stemmler at the MCN's (Maritimes Cluster Norddeutschland e. V. ) event ‘On the Future of the Pilot Profession’ at Fraunhofer CML in Hamburg on 9 September 2025.

Associated British Ports (ABP) will upgrade its recently acquired pilot launches to enhance safety, effectiveness, and sustainability, incorporating feedback from its pilots and marine teams. The program will expand the fleet of larger vessels from three to five, replace older models, and improve seakeeping, crew safety, comfort, handling, fuel efficiency, and emissions reduction.

The term Automatic Identification System (AIS) refers to a radio system that improves the safety and guidance of vessel traffic by exchanging navigation and other vessel data.

Experience the pilot disembarking. Subject vessel 180,000 DWT bulker in Kokkola, Finland, with more than 11 meters freeboard. Copyright: Finnpilot Pilotage

November 29,2021