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.
Soon a Vega will launch from Kourou carrying a payload of several satellites. These will be delivered into orbit by a new multi-payload system developed by ESA. Among these small satellites, E-SAIL. This microsatellite is dedicated to supporting maritime traffic and making seafaring safer. It is part of ESA’s SAT-AIS programme, which aims is to increase the coverage of the Automatic Identification System for ships. This system is a short-range coastal tracking system currently used on...
