The High-Stakes World of San Francisco’s Bar Pilots: A Virtual Reality Experience

What do you think about this unusual manoeuvre here?

On April 20, 2026, the Columbia River Bar Pilots conducted a MOB drill with the U.S. Coast Guard Station Astoria.

"Analysis of reports indicates that pilot ladders (Pilot Transfer Arrangements, or PTAs) and
intentional deviations from safety procedures remain the main causes of near misses..."

From that moment on I have been keeping a tally of the non compliant boarding arrangements I see in front of me on a daily base, and off course I participate in the annual safety campaign, conducted by IMPA each october.

Over the past few years a number of pilot transfer accidents have occurred resulting from total failure of the side ropes, one school of thought is that the methods of securing a pilot ladder is a factor in such occurrences.

Every day, Columbia River Bar Pilots guide massive cargo ships and tankers between the Pacific Ocean and the Columbia River, negotiating the Astoria bridge. Their job is to make that voyage often and make it safely, so you'd better believe they're paying attention to what happened in Baltimore. Read more: https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/the-story/columbia-bar-pilots-river-baltimore-bridge-collapse-cargo-ship/283-e3770397-292c-49e2-a7fd-b0d2db6ccdb1 Watch more The Story videos: http://...

Arrivée au Havre de la pilotine Hirondelle de la Manche

This video shows how to use the TRENZ Pilot Plug with an iPad and the app SEAiq.
SEAiq can be bought from the Apple AppStore.
Please visit https://trenz-pilotplug.com/ for more information.

Svitzer, A.P. Moller - Maersk’s world leading towage operator, today unveiled plans to introduce the world’s first fuel cell tug boat for harbour towage operations.