Associated Branch Pilots

For 170 years, the San Francisco Bar Pilots have been navigating the world’s largest ships through some of North America’s most difficult waterways. These state and federally-licensed master mariners are highly-specialized ship captains who rely on navigational experience, ship-handling skills, and local knowledge to transport more than $1.2 billion in goods to and from 200 Bay Area ports, docks, and berths every day. This critical service protects more than 1,000 miles of fragile coastline...

The pilots say that Port Tampa Bay leadership is leaning on them to change policies in ways they say would be less safe.

Ships Arrival from Dunkirk Pilot Boarding Ground to Dunkirk Breakwaters Captured.How the Pilots boards the Ships.How the Tugs are made Fast.
Beautiful Entrance to Dunkirk Harbour.
@JeffHK @Karanvir Singh Nayyar
#Dunkirk #SeaPilotboarding #TugBoats #Dunkerque #HistoricPortWWII

When a vessel navigates in confined waters, such as in a harbour or narrow channel, it is well known among experienced pilots that the ship handling is greatly affected by the hydrodynamic forces and moments acting between ship and bank or sidewall of the channel.

An analysis by Ahmed Sati

The Bahamas has imposed a compulsory maritime pilot rule for all vessels, including cruise ships, at its ports since September 2025.

Based on Pilot, Tug Master and Ship Captain Questionnaires

Compiled by:

Captain Henk Hensen FNI FITA Captain Daan Merkelbach FITA Captain F. van Wijnen MNI

Created by Tim Cummins. This is an uncontrolled example of the latest passage plan used by the Pilot Service at Portsmouth International Port.

Due to many incidents involving pilot ladders and man ropes in South Australian ports, and in effort to improve pilot safety, from 1 January 2022 Flinders Ports will require visiting vessels and their Masters to take additional precautions