Pilot Boat Approaching Norwegian Star in Italy

February 23, 2020.
During high seas, smaller ships board Maritime Pilots in the mass entrance to Port of Rotterdam.

French shipbuilder OCEA today launched the first of twenty "OCEA FPB 98 MKI" patrol boats for the State Border Guard service of Ukraine at its shipyard in Les Sables d'Olonne. ===================== In November 2019, an intergovernmental agreement between France and Ukraine has been signed to support the reinforcement of the maritime safety and security in Ukraine. OCEA won the international consultation launched by the Ukrainian Ministry of Interior. The acquisition contract is for 20...

The investment in the vessels to work on the busy waterways will see the arrival next year of the next generation of pilot boats built by Holyhead Marine.

The transfer of pilots to and from seagoing vessels should not rely solely on mutual trust and good intentions.

A handy and simple tool to determine in a minimum time what is really needed as tug assistance, is the Bollard Pull Calculator which calculates in an approximate way the total required tug power for ships in various conditions of wind and current. This tool can be loaded as an app on the smart phone.

For as long as ships have been sailing the seas, there have been maritime pilots to guide them through the most dangerous waterways. But there is a worldwide shortage of seafarers and the industry is struggling to attract young people into the profession. Our Business Correspondent Sarah Corker has been given rare access to film with pilots on the Humber Estuary who work 365 days a year, whatever the weather. And a warning, Sarah’s report may make you feel sea sick.

Many people we know only through the internet and we communicate by mail, chat or via social media. But this is also a way to build stable relationships and a good working relationship.

The PDF of the second issue is available for download here