United Kingdom Maritime Pilots Association (UKMPA)

In our new section "five questions to..." we would like to introduce pilots and other market players to our readers in short interviews.

Today we have talked to  Mamdouh Albaiji, Senior Harbor Pilot at "Ras Tanura at Aramco“

Article and pictures by Captain W J M Hargreaves, Retired Southampton Pilot

Like many seafarers I have long been a keen follower of The Nautical Institute’s MARS programme, and along with many other members I listened to the recent webinar on that topic. One theme which was repeated more than once was that it is better to learn from someone else’s misfortune rather than have it happen to you. Having personally been involved in two near misses resulting from unsafe pilot transfer arrangements in a relatively short space of time, I asked how experiences and knowledge specifically about pilot ladder safety could best be promulgated to avoid repeating common accidents or near misses.

Raw footage of a an offshore Pilot transfer.
More pictures and an occasional video can be found at
https://instagram.com/sea_weathered?igshid=3qbu808ioyqf

A man in his own element. Meet Pilot Fabio Fontes, the oldest maritime pilot in activity at 84.

What exactly is a ship channel pilot? 30-year pilot Lou Vest tells us the ins and outs of what a ship channel pilot does, why they're important, and how to become one (if you're lucky!).
https://houstonmaritime.org

At a special dedication ceremony at the Port of Dundee today, the new Tay Discovery pilot boat was given a traditional marine blessing for its service on the River Tay.
With the Dundee Heritage Trust and National Oceanography Centre present, the pilot boat has been named Tay Discovery which highlights the important role the port plays in the City of Discovery. The naming also coincides with the centenary of the original Discovery ship receiving its Royal Research designation.
The Chaplain,...

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.

Here’s a nice video of ‘Miami’ the Interceptor 48 pilot we built for the Biscayne Bay Pilots, Florida on sea trials, with Voyager helping out as the camera boat.