Luke Pollard tests out the new pilot boat

Towage operator Svitzer recently took delivery of a new pilot boat from Western Australia-based boatbuilder Dongara Marine.

SOMERSET, Mass, − December 18, 2019 – The Association of Maryland Pilots has ordered a new class of pilot boat from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation. Called the “Baltimore Class” after the pilots’ base of operations at the Port of Baltimore, the vessel’s delivery is scheduled for April 2021.

P&O Sahm is the fifth pilot boat to be acquired by P&O Maritime Logistics from the same builder. It will be operated out of Port Rashid in Dubai.

Here’s a nice little video of rough weather sea trials that coincided with ‘Storm Agnes’ last week in the Interceptor 48 pilot boat ‘Svitzer Oued Laou’. The storm produced some pretty big waves at the entrance to Cork Harbour, and strong winds during the height of the storm. We managed to capture some cool footage from Roches PT lighthouse. It was fairly rough, although by not coinciding with the ebbing tide conditions aboard were quite comfortable, and our Pilot 48 handled it effortlessly...

In this part two video of the man overboard drill series. In one continuous take and no speed adjustments. You can see once the dummy is launched in the water. How fast the crew can come to a complete stop. The boats captain moves to the stern control station, Deploy the stern scoop and rescue the survivor. All of this happing in less than two minuets. An amazing display of teamwork and skill. Filmed using a DJI Mini 2 If you are interested in purchasing a Mini here is a link to my DJI...

The Port of Townsville has welcomed the newest addition to its fleet of pilot boats with the arrival of the newly built MANTARAY. The $3.3 million, custom-built vessel utilises high-tech equipment and design to maximise safety and efficiency for pilot transfers.

Following a competitive, international selection process, the Port of London Authority (PLA) has signed a contract with British family-run company, Goodchild Marine Services Ltd, to build a new pilot vessel.

This pilot course is the first of the capacity-building efforts of the three-year project on enhancing regional research, capacity building and convening of stakeholders towards a safer maritime domain in the Gulf of Guinea.

The average harbor pilot at the Port of Los Angeles makes $434,000 a year, but also faces a one in 20 chance of dying on the job, according to a book from The Wall Street Journal's Christopher Mims that was published in 2021.

SWATH and SWASH are interesting technologies that allow a vessel to sail much more calmly in high waves. A stable and calm position of the ship is especially important for pilot boarding.