2012
As the chemical tanker ship enters Istanbul, the pilot boat docks.
Istanbul Bosphorus
There were some astonishing pictures in the press some weeks ago of a Royal Marine employing a jetpack to launch himself from a RIB to land on the deck of a ship with extraordinary precision. You cannot imagine that it would be a feasible proposition to equip pilots with such a device, but it did cross my mind after reading a horrible catalogue of disgraceful seamanship and poor design exhibited in what ought to be the simple matter of keeping pilots safe as they board and leave ships.
This important topic is still underestimated in shipping! Can you trust your GPS? Your Galileo? Knowing where the ship is and where to sail next is the main task of navigating a ship and is commonly supported by using Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). But what happens if the GNSS gets intentionally disturbed?
The Los Angeles Pilot Service has welcomed two new pilot boats, Angels Pilot and Angels Navigator, to the Port of Los Angeles. The 56-foot boats custom-built by Vigor Industrial made their way from Vancouver, Wash. to replace older pilot boats, Phineas Banning and Stephen M. White, which both served the Port of Los Angeles for more than 25 years and were recently retired. The new pilot boats are equipped with the latest safety, navigation, and fuel efficiency features designed to help the...