Pilot Boarding Arrangement - Pilot Ladder Boarding

KITTIWAKE ( MMSI 232008570) is a Pilot and currently sailing under the flag of United Kingdom (UK) Here she is speeding down the River this morning.

Vessel name: Polaris ; Year built: 2012 ; Flag: Netherlands ; Homeport: Rotterdam Length: 81.2m X 13.3m ; GRT: 2501 ; Callsign: PBZN ; MMSI:245142000 ; IMO: 9496915 Type: Special Vessel / Pilot Ship A "Pilot Ship / Pilot Vessel" is a "special type" of ship in which it accommodates a certain and limited Marine Pilots (Sea, River, Harbor Pilots), it also carries small boats/crafts that are used to tender services to and from the Pilot ship. In a Pilot Vessel, the Pilots can take their time...

Genova – Il gigantismo navale? Ha creato una nuova e complessa procedura per accogliere le nuove navi a Genova, ma di fatto ha ridotto le accostate e quindi il numero di pilotaggi, richiedendo un costante aggiornamento e la messa a punto, di volta in volta, di nuove manovre studiate prima a tavolino dai servizi tecnico nautici del porto e poi provate almeno una volta da tutti i piloti prima di diventare prassi consolidata. La nuova diga, inoltre, sta dando e darà ulteriore lavoro cambiando l'attività dei Piloti del Porto di Genova.

Port Revel is used for shiphandling training of maritime pilots, masters and officers on a 5 ha lake with 11 manned model ships representing 20 vessels, and 4 tugs at scale 1:25 and DGPS tracking system. Instructors are former maritime pilots.
Training on the scale models provides experience that could never be gained on real ships for the simple reason that neither ship-owners nor local authorities would allow such risks to be taken. Scale models allow the shiphandler to make mistakes....

To monitor the vessel’s progress, the pilot had set up his portable pilotage unit (PPU). He had connected the rate-of-turn generator to the vessel’s pilot plug and had set a variable range marker on the radar with a radius of 0.5 nm.

A Sydney harbor pilot boat tries to get a pilot off the MS Amsterdam leaving Sydney on November 28, 2018. Due to the rough weather the pilot boat needed several attempts before the pilot was able to disembark the MS Amsterdam safely.
A Sydney harbor pilot boat tries to get a pilot off the MS Amsterdam leaving Sydney on November 28, 2018. Due to the rough weather the pilot boat needed several attempts before the pilot was able to disembark the MS Amsterdam safely.

Conversion work is nearly completed of the former Oil Spill Response Vessel OSRV MAINE RESPONDER to a Pilot Station Vessel for Sandy Hook Pilots Association of Staten Island, NY. The conversion work contract was competitively awarded to Feeney Shipyard of Kingston NY.

Bulk Carrier Ship "LUMPHINI PARK"/ #RioDeLaPlataPilots Embarking Maneuver/ On board #PilotVessel "SEA MASTER"/ #BoardingPoint #JP #Recalada  #RioDeLaPlata - 14th. July 2025 - 13:46 hs. (Local Time).- 20250714_134626_1_1 This video (original sound) was filmed on board Pilot Vessel "SEA MASTER" and shows the Rio de la Plata Pilots, when they Embarked on board the Bulk Carrier Ship "LUMPHINI PARK". This maneuver occurred in #JP #BoardingStation  #Recalada #RioDeLaPlata.- Date: 14th.July 2025....

I think this is one of my favorite Marine Pilots' pictures of the year. Very powerful. What a dynamic photo! The moment was instantly caught by the photographer.