Incident on 31 January 2020 : A rope of the pilot ladder breaks. Pilot could still reach the vessel

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.

A 35-year-old male sea pilot of the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) fell into the sea from a crude oil tanker near the N Shed Wharf in the port of Durban. A rope of the pilot ladder is said to have snapped for an undetermined reason when the man disembarked while leaving the crude oil tanker which was leaving the port of Durban.

Before you, you see my third article on pilot boarding arrangements. After my two previous articles ‘1000 ways to secure a pilot ladder’ and ‘1000 ladders around’, I have received a lot of feedback and also questions to get deeper into the matter of combinations and embarkation platforms.

This Pilot Advisory Note (PAN) advises AMSA-licensed coastal pilots and pilotage providers about the existence of counterfeit pilot ladders and associated certification.

For the first time, the ports of Antwerp, Barcelona, Hamburg, Los Angeles, Montreal and Rotterdam come together to showcase their most advanced digital transformation and sustainability projects at their dedicated ‘Smart Ports’ exhibit

Do you ever leave the harbour to get on a vessel you will guide along without a ritual? Whatever we trust in, whatever the rituals or traditions you Marine Pilots have - when you board your pilot boats, climb the ladders, get the vessels through the harbour - keep them and cherish them, they are good and they are important.

For days, the container freighter "Ever Given" had blocked the Suez Canal. Now Egypt and the shipping company are apparently arguing about compensation. For safety's sake, the canal authorities had the ship chained up.

Commander Roberto Bunicci, chief pilot of the Port of Ravenna's Pilots' Guild and already Vice President in office, is the new President of the Italian Federation of Port Pilots.

Look at Life - City of Sailors - Portsmouth - 1965
Portsmouth is no longer the sea-faring city it once was; this film from the Documentary Series "Look At Life" Volume 5 - Cultural Heritage in 1965 looks at its changing face.