Land and Sea: Sea Harbour Pilots

This article was originally published on Baird Maritime (link below)
When a pilot is berthing a ship with the aid of tugs, it sometimes happens that the ship lands heavily and suffers minor damage. More commonly in my experience, it also happens that the crew discover a large dent for which they cannot account ...

At one point, the Captain on the Ship while being highly respected, also carried great responsibility and had the ultimate accountability for everything on board. But this respect, responsibility and accountability has not come overnight, or just when the Captain wears his four stripes.

The San Francisco Bar Pilots are one of the important cogs in our supply chain wheel. They are tasked with boarding the vessels eleven miles west of the Golden Gate Bridge via a rope ladder often in rough seas and taking control of the vessels en route to the Port of Stockton. Once on the bridge of the ship, the Pilot oversees navigation and ensures the safe passage of ships into the Bay and through the Delta until it is secured alongside its berth at the Port. Without these Pilots the...

The practice is essential to the safety of waterway traffic, as it avoids or minimizes accidents that can cost the lives of people, cause damage to the environment and enormous material losses.
The structure is fully maintained by the practicing companies themselves, without the contribution of any public resource, related to the maintenance of the speedboats, the 24-hour operation of their Operations Centers, the training of their employees, the acquisition and maintenance of communication,...

Video by marine pilot ESIL ABIBULA.

A new generation Pilot Boat ! - One of the first IPS propelled workboat - A service speed of 30 knots - A lightweight and solid construction in aluminium - Fast crew operations and low running costs The specifications of this boat have been carefully studied to optimise performance and reliability, while minimising running costs, especially fuel consumption. Both light and powerful, this new 12-metre craft is capable of rapid turnarounds at a service speed of 30 knots. More information on...

Shipbuilder Metal Shark is building a welded aluminum 55’ x 17’ pilot boat for the Pascagoula Bar Pilots Association in Mississippi.

Designed in-house, the new 55 Defiant Pilot being built for Pascagoula Pilots represents the latest evolution in Metal Shark’s pilot boat lineup. The distinctive vessel incorporates the“faceted hull” design initially developed by Metal Shark for the US Navy 40 PB program, and features an enhanced version of Metal Shark’s signature “pillarless glass” in a two-tiered, reverse-raked arrangement.

Tug boats and a digger struggle to free a mega cargo ship, blocking one of the world's busiet shipping pathways.
Dozens of ships are stuck because a container ship almost half a kilometre long is wedged across the waterway.

Filmed by James O'Donnell.
Departure of DOUCE FRANCE from DP World London Gateway Berth #3, ebb tide, SW 20kt wind, 1800 GMT on the 13th of March 2021.

Tuesday, October 1st is the start date of the latest International Maritime Pilot Association's annual Safety Campaign.

Previous campaigns by the association have consistently shown results of pilot ladder deficiencies around the 20% mark.