Container ship under pilotage leaving Kiel Canal | NordosteeKanal | Germany

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.

Commander Roberto Bunicci, chief pilot of the Port of Ravenna's Pilots' Guild and already Vice President in office, is the new President of the Italian Federation of Port Pilots.

A good possibility to make the job of a maritime pilot much more visible!

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

Fremantle Ports in Western Australia has awarded local boatbuilder Dongara Marine a contract for the construction of two new pilot boats.

Humphree motion control systems appear on these pages almost weekly. Established 19 years ago by a group of very experienced Swedish marine engineers, the company has made a distinguished name for its products in the comparatively short time since.

Manoeuvring large ships at close quarters and on shallow water is one of the most difficult aspects of shiphandling because of the complex hydraulic interactions depending on the ships' speeds, on the water depth and on lateral restrictions like in canals. Training is conducted both on meeting and on overtaking ships in shallow waters. This video shows how overtaking in a canal should be conducted: come in close to the stern and then move away from the bow that will be sucked towards your...