A containership collided with a Pilot boat inside taipei harbour

off Taipei, bit choppy seas

Container ship MADRID TRADER ran aground in fairway while entering Mar del Plata Port, Argentina, at around 1830 UTC Jan 20, with pilot on board.

The crew of a pilot boat rescued a 47-year-old colleague from the North Sea during a severe storm and darkness. The pilot fell overboard early on Sunday morning.

Port operations, whether these are being performed on water or on land, are often not without risk. Pilots boarding a ship while sailing, navigating through narrow passages, collision avoidance with other smaller or larger vessels, discharging and moving cargo on land, walking between container handling equipment and trucks…

The video was found on some social media channels in June 2020. When so many elementary mistakes are made and so many risks are taken, this is exactly what can happen! It's a demonstrative example of an unprofessional action: 1) Where is the life jacket? 2) No backpack on the shoulders. Use a rope to have the backpack lifted by the deck crew. 3) Where is the rest of the crew (on vessel / on the small boat) for safe assistance? What other mistakes have you discovered? We do not put videos...

AMSA: A pilot was seriously injured after losing balance when a large wave impacted the vessel at the same time as they stood up to remove their lifejacket while in the cabin.

FASTWATER Consortium and the Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA) successfully demonstrated a pilot boat that has been converted to operate on Methanol fuel. The demonstration in Stockholm Harbour follows the successful bunkering of the vessel at the SMA pilot station in Oxelösund, Sweden, where the pilot boat will be based.

The US Coast Guard has now issued "Marine Safety Information Bulletin 21-20" which repeats the recommendation for pilot transfer agreements.

A pilot boat entering the port of Miami.

The Australasian Marine Pilots Institute is presenting a webinar via Zoom about ports providing ECDIS routes and passage plans to ships as part of the pre-arrival process.

It will take place on Thursday 11 February 2021 at 19:00 AEDT (08:00 UTC) and is free for AMPI/IMPA/UKMPA/NZMPA members. Non-members are also welcome to attend.