Ships Pilotage from Port Providence

A harbor pilot has the difficult job of bringing ships into port. A candidate for Albay Yacht Club has invited me to document the process. I went with Jud, the harbor pilot.

Mission ended well and disembarked on 13/12/2021. She didn't. Weekes later she caught major fire and sank South of the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean. Fortunately, the crew abandoned the ship and no casualties were reported.

A good working relationship with the pilot, effective Master Pilot Information Exchange at the start of the pilotage followed by well performing Bridge Resource Management during the pilotage passage, are important factors in a successful pilotage.

This video explores the question of why ships are so difficult to manoeuvre in reverse.

The technology group Wärtsilä has delivered a navigation simulator and specific mathematical models to the Satakunta University of Applied Sciences (SAMK) in the city of Rauma, Finland. These will be used as an essential enabler in the Intelligent Shipping Technology Test Laboratory (ISTLAB) project, which aims at creating a technically precise testing environment for remotely controlled, autonomous vessels. The contract with Wärtsilä was signed in the 4th quarter of 2019.

Safehaven Marine of Ireland will soon deliver a new pilot boat to Williams Shipping based in Southampton, UK.

Operators and supervisors of the operations center (atalaia) of Praticagem da Barra do Rio Grande participated in an update course in online and face-to-face mode. They had classes on nautical charts, electronic charts (ECDIS), radars, portable pilot units (portable electronic navigation equipment) and technical English. "There is no good operation without recurrent training with good tools", says pilotage operational director, practical Bernardo Ramos

This publication (2024) details the rules, regulations and procedures that should be followed when preparing for pilot embarkation and disembarkation. It includes relevant excerpts from SOLAS regulations and IMO resolutions.

The need to hold such a webinar was felt from the interaction over several months of AIMPA members through its President, Capt. Gajanan Karanjikar, with Capt Simon Meyjes and Capt.Ravi Nijjer - both instrumental in the thorough upgrade of pilotage