Like many seafarers I have long been a keen follower of The Nautical Institute’s MARS programme, and along with many other members I listened to the recent webinar on that topic. One theme which was repeated more than once was that it is better to learn from someone else’s misfortune rather than have it happen to you. Having personally been involved in two near misses resulting from unsafe pilot transfer arrangements in a relatively short space of time, I asked how experiences and knowledge specifically about pilot ladder safety could best be promulgated to avoid repeating common accidents or near misses.

At the end of the disembarking procedure, the pilot jumps on ropes onto the pilot boat. Is this often seen practice safe? Can the pilot resolve the situation better?

This video briefly describes the special operation of transfer of marine pilots at sea.

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.

On board Pilot One during boarding maneuvers to one of the regular ferries that connects Tarifa with Tangier city.

View from the Bridge as the pilot navigates our 24,000 TEU vessel through the busy shipping channel safely to its berth. HMM thanks all the Pilots, Tug-Masters and Berthing Gangs for their important role in the safe passage of our fleet.

Crude Oil Tanker British Robin passing St Anns Head on a rather windy day in Pembrokeshire.

Bergstraum inbound to Regent Quay in Aberdeen Harbour with the tug Kittywake assisting.

MarineL og November 2022 Edition has been published. This issue focusses on patrol boats, pilot boats and offshore support vessels.