Marine Pilot Planner: The Harbour Pilot Notebook

Pilot recruitment has traditionally been based on seniority, and extensive sea experience. However, a more modern approach, hiring younger, motivated candidates with structured training, offers an alternative path with compelling advantages.

Australia’s high-tech FRP specialist boat builder Hart Marine has been building pilot, patrol and rescue boats for a couple of decades. That experience tells as the boats continually improve from an already high base.

The following short clip appeared on TikTok recently, showing a non compliant trapdoor arrangement, and a pilot using it. From this short video, the dangers of this kind of arrangement are very clear.

Smooth and beautiful pilot boat in Karachi harbor.. autonomous sensory meridian response, ASMR

The massive container ship that ran aground in the Suez Canal, halting traffic in one of the world's busiest waterways, is still stuck. The ship, called the Ever Given, became horizontally wedged in the waterway following heavy winds. Nearly 19,000 ships passed through the canal during 2020, for an average of 51.5 per day, according to the Suez Canal Authority.

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.

The Dutch coaster Mv. Stroombank is leaving the port of Figueira da Foz in Portugal. Normally operations are restricted to daylight only, but because bad weather was forecasted for the days to come we've received an exemption and were allowed to depart during dark hours. Cargo operations were running close to the departure deadline so we quickly secured the cargo and prepared the vessel for sea. The tide was running out so we used the forward spring to keep position as we went slow astern...

DPC provide a Pilot Service for vessels visiting the port, the service involves putting on and taking off Pilots from the vessels both in port and at sea. Only personnel who are qualified, trained and passed out as competent in their respective roles are involved in this operation which will normally involve a Coxswain to helm the boat, a boatman to look after the deck operations and ensure the safety of the Pilot throughout the operation. Following correct procedures and utilising all...

ABP Southampton: NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that some ships have a pilot transfer arrangement consisting of an accommodation ladder / pilot ladder combination with a trapdoor that does not meet IMO standards in effect since at least 2012.