Belfast Harbour adds new Pilot Boat to Marine Fleet

This is the Ben Madigan pilot boat, one of the hard working fleet of Belfast Harbout pilot boats. ( I'm not sure but I believe this might be a Redbay Stormforce, built by Redbay boat builders at Cushendll. )
These fast, sturdy, boats have to ferry Belfast pilots out to large vessels coming in to Belfast harbour. Piloted vessels range from large tankers, bulk carriers, container ships, ferries and cruise liners, right down to barges and fishing boats. Not only this, Belfast Harbour pilots...

What a great pleasure to meet these guys at the harbour - they could not have been more helpful and forthright about their work. At first glance, the glide of these orange powerboats up and down Belfast Lough seems an almost effortless task, but close up this is a very skilled trade and constant management of risk 24/7 in high and low seas, jumping from ship to boat to land taking safe control of the great volume of steel vessel coming in and out of this busy port. Though a hub of...

Kewatec builds the twelfth pilot boat and the ninth Pilot 1820 boat for Buksér og Berging in Norway. The boat is of the same series as the previous Pilot 1820 boats that have been delivered during the last five years. The boats have a total length of 18.2 meters and are the flagships of Kewatec's pilot boat range.

The Port of Cork company has ordered a new pilot vessel from boat builders, Safehaven Marine based in Youghal.

The author’s name is Mohammed Rida El Mariky, a senior pilot at Tangier Med Complex. He has 14 years pf pilotage experience in various Moroccan port and holds a Ph.D in Admiralty Law from the prestigious Paul Cézanne Faculty, Aix-en-Provence, France.

photo and article by Luis Vale, Portugal