Opinion Bow Truster Effect on Ship's Headway

by Capt. Hugues Cauvier - published on 14 July 2022

When the bow thruster has been in operation for a while, pilots often notice that the ship not only turns but also gains speed. But why is this? Opinion by Capt. Hugues Cauvier.

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Opinion A Corrected Version on Positioning of Pivot Point

by Capt. Santosha K. Nayak - published on 18 November 2020

Understanding the fundamentals of the pivot point is highly required for understanding the alteration of the courses. Pivot point is an imaginary point on the vessel which turns on a circular path on the perimeter of vessel’s turning circle when the vessel makes a turn. The knowledge about the position of the pivot point in a manoeuvring situation provides the ship handler with the information on the geometry of motion of the ship.

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Opinion Scientific Fact: The ‘traditional’ understanding of the ship’s pivot point is wrong!

by Tim Cummins, Harbour Pilot, Portsmouth International Port - published on 9 July 2020

In fact, the pivot point that we “see” is a trick of the eye, it looks like the ship is rotating about this point but in fact it is elsewhere, a point that you cannot see.

Related content

Video Bow thruster effect on ship's headway 1

by Capt. Hugues Cauvier - published on 14 July 2022

What is causing the forward motion of a stopped vessel using continous bow thruster action?
by Capt. H. Cauvier

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Video Hugues Cauvier: Understanding the ship's pivot point (complete video)

by Capt. Hugues Cauvier - published on 3 September 2024

This video has been recut and edited by the creator Hugues Cauvier. Previously there were three episodes, which have now been combined into one.

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Video How to Launch a Pilot Boat–Behind the Scenes at Point Hope Shipyard

published on 20 June 2025

Welcome to Point Hope Shipyard in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. In this video, I follow the float off of the Pacific Navigator, a hardworking pilot boat that serves the Port of Victoria and Ogden Point. We watch as the vessel is pulled along the marine railway, rotated on the turntable, and positioned onto the cradle. Once secured, the cradle lowers to float-off depth, and the Pacific Navigator fires up her engines for a short harbour spin before returning to duty. Some segments,...

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Video Current threats to GNSS: An update of incidents and impacts with Guy Buesnel

published on 20 February 2021

This webinar is part of the Resilient Positioning Navigation and Timing Seminar Series.

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Video Electronic Chart Standards: IHO ECDIS and ENC

published on 29 October 2019

Tom Mellor - C​hairman of the IHO Electronic Navigational Chart Working Group (ENC WG) and Head of Digital Standards at the UKHO - explains what the IHO's ECDIS and ENC Standards mean.

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Video CMMI Chennai Chapter |Technical Meeting | BRM During Pilotage

published on 27 July 2021

The Company of Master Mariners of India - Chennai Chapter, cordially invites you to a virtual meeting on "BRM During Pilotage" by Capt. Russell D'Cruz.

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Article Psychophysical stress and strain of maritime pilots in Germany. A cross-sectional study

published on 12 June 2021

Maritime pilots work in an irregular deployment system (rotation system) with unpredictable work assignments under high levels of physical and mental stress. Fatigue or chronic diseases, e.g. coronary heart disease, peptic ulcers or gastritis can occur as a consequence.

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Opinion 1000 stanchions around… Which ones are correct and which ones are killers?

by Arie Palmers - published on 6 December 2022

Stanchions therefore are an often-overlooked part of a pilot transfer arrangement and therefore I
want to give them more attention in this article. They proved to be the cause of a whole series of accidents, some of which were even fatal.

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Video Podcast: Making pilotage calls in adverse weather with Captain Joost Mulder

published on 20 August 2026

In this episode of the Wayfinder Podcast, we sit down with Captain Joost Mulder, a maritime pilot with over 20 years guiding vessels through the Port of Rotterdam, to break down how pilotage decisions actually get made in adverse weather. Captain Mulder walks us through: - How captains, pilots, and the harbor master share decision-making authority, and what happens when conditions turn borderline mid-transit - Why wind, more than current or wave height, is the biggest factor in port...

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Article Improve comfort, safety and maneuvering with Humphree.

published on 24 September 2020

By using Humphree's trim and stabilization system, you will reduce resistance, fuel consumption and environmental impact. It also means that the best possible performance and stability is achieved.

Humphree USA reports that it has won numerous orders this year for its automatic stabilization technology in the North American pilot boat segment, with nine new boats either delivered or under construction for eight different pilot associations.

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