In our new new section “Five questions for ..." Marine-Pilots.com introduces pilots and other market players to our readers in short interviews.

Today we have talked to Olli Taipale, Chief Pilot at Finnpilot.

There are some problems that never seem to go away and one is the perennial difficulties in providing a safe way of getting pilots on and off a ship.

It turns out that supertankers and cruise ships have valets. They're called maritime pilots, and they're among the most elite ship handlers in the world. So where does one go to learn how to park the largest ships in the world? To the Maritime Pilots Institute in Covington, La. There, they use mini-versions of the behemoth boats to teach the basics. All aboard!

Welcome back to the Fluctus Channel for a feature on the important role of tugboats in navigating the bigger vessels in harbors and canal, as well as the open seas.

In 2006 I was invited to join Port of London Pilot Capt. Tom Miller on one of his last few voyages before his retirement. A pilot cutter ferried us from the Gravesend Port office to the Port of London Terminal where the Hebridean Spirit waited for us to board. Once aboard, the ship's captain manoeuvred the vessel off its moorings and into the channel. After handing the vessel over to Capt. Miller, the Captain joined the ship's company for dinner, and the first offer and a helmsman remained...

The Puget Sound Pilots have captured what other businesses have done: create a comprehensive dedicated maternity plan that can be a model for others.

As the world struggles with the Covid-19 virus, the maritime world is being hit hard, not only economically, but also socially and operationally. Iin shipping there are no borders.

This movie belongs to the operation of ships with POD propellers and discusses the approach for using a vector model from only the pods’ thrust forces as resulting force to imagine the potential effect of the pods on manoeuvring motion.

Flying from Shortlands, following the beautiful HM Orc 181 "Nepean" Flying to the very edge of VLOS helped by the elevated position in the carpark, also helped by a good strong coffee from Hesse St! Little known fact, when I was a small child I went out in the Pilot boat from (dad recalls) Gem Pier in Williamstown! I only remember being a bit scared and that's about it. Learn about the Port Phillip Sea Pilots here - https://www.ppsp.com.au/story/ Learn more about the pilot boat here:...

While in many western countries of the world, pilots there have already been preferentially vaccinated against COVID-19, pilots in other countries such as Malaysia are struggling to get vaccinated.