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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Article Combinations Ladders: "1,000 combinations around" (by Arie Palmers)

by Arie Palmers, Netherlands - published on 13 July 2020

Before you, you see my third article on pilot boarding arrangements. After my two previous articles
(‘1000 ways to secure a pilot ladder’ and ‘1000 ladders around’, I have received a lot of feedback and
also questions to get deeper into the matter of combinations and embarkation platforms.

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Video What is the impact of lateral resistance on a ship's turning circle??

published on 3 September 2020

This video explains the impact of lateral resistance on the turning circle of a vessel using animations. The video explains the term lateral resistance, shows an example of its impact on the turning circle and its associated aspects (advance, transfer, tactical diameter and drift angle).
Contents of this video will benefit mariners preparing for exams (written and oral examinations).

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Video How Stabilisers Reduce A Ship's Roll

published on 4 July 2019

Stabilisers are used to reduce the amount of roll experienced by large ships.
In this video, we look at a few different stabilisation techniques. We investigate how different methods work and how successful they are at reducing a roll.

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Article Shipping Industry Guidance on Pilot Transfer Arrangements, Version 3

published on 13 January 2022

This guidance is intended to remind seafarers and companies of the vital importance of adhering to the rules and established procedures concerning the provision of safe boarding arrangements for pilots.

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Video A Global Perspective | Maritime SheEO Conference 2021

published on 22 December 2021

What has the current experiences and developments in Maritime Pilotage Training been like? This session takes a global perspective at the conference. At the panel are: 🌊 John Barker, Senior Marine Pilot, Port of Auckland (New Zealand) 🌊 Captain Hanna Odengrund, Marine Pilot, Sweden Maritime Administration 🌊 Nurul Arrienne, Marine Pilot, Port of Tanjung, Malaysia 🌊 Fatouma Ali Ahmed, First Female Marine Pilot, Port of Djibouti 🌊 Reshma Nilofer, First Female Marine Pilot (India) 🌊...

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Video Baltic Workboats Pilot Ship (2016)

published on 17 June 2021

Baltic Workboat Pilot Shop, American Workboats Shipyard

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