Pilot Boat "Pioneer" at Vlissingen Netherlands (2021)

This video shows the reality of pilots in Kenya.

SF Bar Pilot transfer- offshore pilot station.

In early December, just as I was starting to get into ship spotting, I saw a couple of vessels headed up river towards Philly. One of them, the Cielo di Iyo met with the harbor pilot right as I had my drone up. I was able to capture the Pilot coming to meet the vessel and CLIMBING the ladder to get on board just before she passed beneath the Walt Whitman Bridge.

A pilot ladder is a highly specialized form of rope ladder, typically used on board cargo vessels for the purposes of embarking and disembarking pilots.

I have had the privilege of being at quite a number of meetings, conferences and seminars, sometimes representing The Netherlands, but mostly representing the Netherlands pilots. I have had many discussions about the role of pilots and pilot organisations, which lead me to write an article “What is the added value of pilotage?”, published in the February 2020 issue of Seaways.

DanPilot, Denmarks state pilot organization have incorporated the information of Pilotladdersafety.com in their e-learning module for pilots.

The term pilot is defined as, “a person who is qualified and usually licensed to conduct a ship into and out of a port or in specified waters.” The Merchant Shipping Act 1894 states that, “a pilot is any person not belonging to a ship who has the conduct thereof.”

Here’s a cool little video of the 2nd Interceptor 60 ‘Rubban’ built for DP World undergoing alongside ship handling sea trials, with some lovely drone footage of the container ship ‘BG Ireland’ as well.

Vlaanderen is één van de drukste scheepvaartregio’s ter wereld. Loodsen assisteren schepen bij het aanlopen en verlaten van de havens in Vlaanderen. De bemanning van Vloot zorgt ervoor dat de loodsen aan en van boord geraken van de te beloodsen schepen. Op zee maken ze hiervoor gebruik van de Wandelaar, een SWATH en een jol.