Difficulties Of Embarkation

A Virginia Pilot Association harbor pilot disembarks the U.S. flag containership Maersk Atlanta before the ship sails north along the U.S. East Coast.
Featured in this video is the Virginia Pilots' brand new pilot boat, Hampton Roads.

The hazards of Pilot boarding
Throughout 2016, the International Maritime Pilots’ Association (IMPA) held a safety campaign focused upon the standard of pilot ladders and associated equipment. CHIRP supported this campaign and received many reports on the subject.
This first report describes issues concerning pilot access near
the non-parallel ends of a ship, and use of a retractable platform.

The Port Pilot, by Richard Blanco. In _Looking for The Gulf Motel_, 2012, University of Pittsburgh Press.

This is how a ship Pilot boarding a vessel in calm seas.

Already published for the first time in September 2020: Maritime piloting operations involve on-call work schedules that may lead to sleep loss and circadian misalignment. The study documented pilot work scheduling practices.

A busy morning with all three pilot services on jobs at Point Lonsdale, Victoria, Australia.
Ship spotting at Point Lonsdale and other water activities.

The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) upcoming amendments to SOLAS Chapter V, Regulation 23, represent a significant step forward in enhancing the safety of pilot ladder operations.