United Kingdom Maritime Pilots Association (UKMPA)

The Spring 2023 edition of the BPC Pilotage Quarterly is out now!

This is an "only in Astoria" moment we get to see every day.

The Port of Milford Haven – the biggest port in Wales and largest energy port in the UK – will trial Zelim’s Swift rescue conveyor on its operational pilot vessels. The port may also utilise this technology on its new pilot vessel, which is currently in the final stages of contract award.

The following short clip appeared on TikTok recently, showing a non compliant trapdoor arrangement, and a pilot using it. From this short video, the dangers of this kind of arrangement are very clear.

Capt. Nasir Khan is responsible for the content and copyright of this film and kindly provided us with this video.

This week, the International Maritime Organization Sub-Committee responsible for developing amendments to SOLAS regulation V/23 and associated instruments (NCSR 11) finalized a new performance standard for pilot transfer arrangements, which is expected to be made mandatory by SOLAS and apply to new and existing SOLAS and non-SOLAS ships from 1 January 2028.