Impressions from the EMPA 2022 sponsor hall in Antwerp

Today the 56th EMPA General Meeting started in Antwerp.

After crossing the Atlantic Ocean and entered in the Mediterranean sea it is time to call the pilots at Chioggia/Venice, Italy.

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...

The name tag plate on this ladder displays a few important items that can be cross referenced with the certificate: Type, Model, Length, Production date, as well as the serial number (Prod.No) and the approval standard.

This operation was carried out as part of a study of the capability of vessels of 142 meters length to enter and leave the seaport of Vyborg in the daylight.

Despite clear regulations and regular maintenance requirements, safety often falls by the wayside, as the current example of a bulk carrier vividly demonstrates.

Two decades ago, candidates were selected for TNPA's accelerated training programme in Rotterdam, which aimed to train a new generation of ship pilots, managers and other maritime professionals.

In the Inner Harbor, a tugboat captain is teaching Baltimore's inner-city youth about the maritime industry.

Trelleborg Marine and Infrastructure has supplied its advanced navigation and piloting solutions for pilotage applications to facilitate the safe and efficient berthing of vessels and to increase safety of larger vessels at Peel Ports Group.

Topic: Technical or human error?
Ed Verbeek already published this interesting article about the proportion of human to technical errors on LinkedIn last week.