Port Colborne Pilot Boat Operations, Nov, 2022

Spotted some Pilot Boats in the Port of Auckland, New Zealand and Melbourne & Fremantle Australia (Port codes: Auckland:NZ AKL ; Melbourne:AU MEL ; Fremantle:AU FRE).

KITTIWAKE ( MMSI 232008570) is a Pilot and currently sailing under the flag of United Kingdom (UK) Here she is speeding down the River this morning.

Vessels are required by law to have a trained maritime pilot on board responsible for safely navigating the ship to its desired destination. However, ensuring safe navigation inside dock environments is demanding as mistakes can be extremely costly, time-consuming to correct, and even fatal. An assisting tool working autonomously to support the maritime pilot by predicting possible collisions would lower the risk involved with navigating the vessel.

A bridge team’s lack of effective monitoring of their position while at anchor led to a cargo ship hitting an anchored bulk carrier and striking a chemical dock on the Lower Mississippi River near New Orleans, according to a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) marine accident brief.

The Bahamas has imposed a compulsory maritime pilot rule for all vessels, including cruise ships, at its ports since September 2025.

Манёвр судна с помощью двух буксиров, заходящего в речку частично крытой льдом.
Inbound vessel maneuver with two tugs assistance doing river passage partly covered by ice.
LOA=140m, B=23m.

ZIM inward to Kingston Jamaica with ECDIS