Pilotage in a strong current

Impressive to see how the Cork Pilot boat ‘Fáilte’ draws parallel to the bow of the moving Brittany Ferries ferry ‘Pont-Aven’, as it departs Cork harbour on a warm sunny afternoon, on Saturday, October 3rd, 2020. Cork harbour is a beautiful place, with plenty of stunning views to enjoy, while departing for the open sea, enroute to Roscoff, France. This particular sailing was very enjoyable, though quiet, due to coping with the Corona virus, which was managed excellently onboard. The ‘Pont-...

Like many seafarers I have long been a keen follower of The Nautical Institute’s MARS programme, and along with many other members I listened to the recent webinar on that topic. One theme which was repeated more than once was that it is better to learn from someone else’s misfortune rather than have it happen to you. Having personally been involved in two near misses resulting from unsafe pilot transfer arrangements in a relatively short space of time, I asked how experiences and knowledge specifically about pilot ladder safety could best be promulgated to avoid repeating common accidents or near misses.

It is not often that this blog is used to show bad practice, however in this case some pictures tell a whole story. Ship is compliant by design for rigging a combination. How about the operator(s)?

The American P&I Club’s Loss Prevention team is dedicated to protecting the most valuable resource the maritime industry has – the human resource! Earlier this year, the Club hosted local Members, pilots, and industry experts in New York City for a round table discussion entitled “Safe Boarding of Vessels”. Participants discussed boarding procedures and boarding equipment on various types of vessels and solutions for reducing the risk of slips, trips and falls.
In this video, Danielle...

The latest MS Amlin Marine circular, compiled by theTechnical Loss Prevention Consultant Peter van der Kroft, focuses on the importance of pilot safety in marine navigation.

Safehaven Marine undertook an 800nm 4 day cruise in Thunder Child II to Scotland, living off the boat to visit a place called the Gulf of Corryvreckan. A pretty wild yet beautiful place. The Corryvreckan whirlpool, or ‘Maelstrom’, as would be a more appropriate description, is formed as the tide enters the narrow stretch of water between the Islands of Jura and Scarba that is the Gulf of Corryvreckan. Here the tidal flow speeds up to 8.5kts as it is squeezed between the islands, and there...

These are some of the reliable sturdy Pilot boats of Netherlands and Belgium to bring and pick up Marine Pilots to and from commercial merchant vessels either inbound or outbound. The Marine Pilots are licensed PROFESSIONALS who have a thorough knowledge of a certain port and they guide the Master/Captain of commercial ships in and out of the foreign Seaport. Location: Steenbank Pilot Station, Flushing/Vlissingen Pilot Station, Wandelaar Pilot Station. Boats in order of appearance in this...

This video explains the IMO resolution on the provision and display of maneuvering information on board ships, particularly the pilot card, wheelhouse poster and maneuvering booklet. the layout and contents of each are explained as well. Contents of this video will benefit mariners preparing for exams (written and oral examinations). Mariners will also benefit by watching the following videos: Duties of the SAR mission coordinator: https://youtu.be/9J3q6XczIGE Duties of the on-scene...

17m Self-righting Pilot Boat by Cheoy Lee Shipyards Name: PILOT 63 Designer: Camarc Design Overall length: 17.3m Designed speed: 25 knots . . For more production information, please visit our website: https://www.cheoylee.com/product/detail/66/ . . . . . Performance • Innovation • Reliability • Quality • Service . . Ref: 5210 (sister-ship: #5209 PILOT 62)