Japanese pilot loses his life

The St. Andrew’s Bay Pilots are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Captain Phillip Brady, age 46, on January 12, 2026.

Meet the weather our HM Coastguard Humberside helicopter, RNLI - Humber Lifeboat Station and emergency tugs faced on Saturday when the Thea II grounded. The good news is that she refloated without any pollution reported and has now berthed safely into King George Docks, Hull where she awaits a visit from our MCA surveyors and the Marine Accident Investigation Branch #allsafe

AMSA notes with concern that since November 2017 several pilots’ lives have been placed at risk, in six separate incidents where man ropes have parted, or its securing point has failed. In addition, AMSA regularly receives reports and complaints about non-compliant pilot transfer arrangements

According to various reports, the motor vessel "Else" damaged the gate of the Kiel-Holtenau lock at 5:00 a.m. on 29 August when it entered the closed gate without a pilot.

The NTSB determined that the probable cause of the contact of the Miss Mollye D tow with the Route 182 bridge was a loss of control of the tow by the pilot at the helm of the towing vessel, likely due to impairment by factors such as fatigue or drug use.

In the 62nd edition of Rumos Práticos the editors visited the Paranaguá and Antonina Pilotage Zone (Paraná-PR) to portray the challenges faced by the pilots in one of the largest port complexes in South America.

The Bridgemans Services Group has taken delivery of a new search and rescue (SAR) boat that can also be used for pilot transfer, firefighting, and pollution response duties.

A maritime pilot tells us about why he loves switching ships in midstream.

Video Showing a long bulk carrier ship Manoeuvring its way through narrow river channel.
Video Credit: Dave Avner

SWATH and SWASH are interesting technologies that allow a vessel to sail much more calmly in high waves. A stable and calm position of the ship is especially important for pilot boarding.