Harbor Pilots - They park big ships. This is how.

The 186 m long M/T TOWER BRIDGE is inbound to Oil harbour 4, Shell 101 berth. We were assisted by two Boluda tugs, REBEL and HUDSON and the Rotterdam Boatmen.

Qualified pilots are usually employed by the local port or maritime administration, and provide their services to ships for a fee, calculated in relation to the ship’s tonnage, draught or other criteria.

Issues like the Covid 19 crisis and the moves towards increased autonomy appear to be driving a renewed interest in Shore Based Pilotage (SBP), nowadays often called Remote Pilotage.

The Federal New York and the M.S. Westcott Sliding through the Detroit River in May 2026, the Federal New York towered over the tiny but legendary M.S. Westcott, a perfect Great Lakes contrast of scale and tradition. Built in 2024 for Fednav, Canada’s largest dry-bulk shipping company, the Federal New York stretches nearly 656 feet long, carries roughly 34,700 deadweight tons, and was designed specifically for efficient St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes service. Alongside her, the M.S....

Research on hydrodynamic interaction indicates that if the speed of the ship near a bank is too high, the rudder may be less able to cope with the forces induced and control will be lost. The Nautical Institute highlights this in its latest Mars Report, in which an LPG carrier hit a barge being towed by a tugboat as a result of hydrodynamic forces.

Pilot boat with over 2000 engine hours of operation in tough operating conditions.
OXE Marine brings its high-performance, fuel-efficient diesel outboards to Indonesia, offering a sustainable and reliable solution for commercial marine operations.

South Australian port operator Flinders Ports has expanded its fleet of harbour services vessels with the recent acquisition of a newbuild pilot boat constructed by Hart Marine in the neighbouring state of Victoria.

The film shows the pilot change on 21.8. - and 29.8. 2010 in Brunsbüttel. Filmed from board MS "Anna Sirkka"

A Korean shipbuilder built the world's largest container ship. The shipowner is HMM, Korea's only ocean shipping company. This giant vessel is expected to provide a much needed momentum for the Korean shipbuilding and shipping industries struggling from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rotorcraft Pro gives an inside look at Brim Aviation's Columbia River Bar Pilots helicopter ops. CRBP uses an AW109SP to hoist ship captains onto ships crossing the dangerous river bar in Astoria, OR. This is part of a written/photo feature in the September 2015 issue of Rotorcraft Pro Magazine.