Article

Sandy Hook Pilot Timothy M. Murray lost his life while boarding a ship (08/05/2020)

by Marine-Pilots.com - published on 6 August 2020 - 4332 -

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On August 5, 2020 at approximately 10:30 pm, Sandy Hook Pilot Captain Timothy M. Murray was involved in an incident while boarding a tanker vessel inbound to the Port of New York & New Jersey. He sustained injuries after falling from a pilot ladder and was evacuated to a local hospital where his injuries proved to be fatal.

Already in December last year a Sandy Hook pilot, Capt. Dennis Sherwood was killed in an accident:

Article: Sandy Hook pilot Dennis Sherwood has died after falling during embarking

And now, less than eight months later, another fatal accident. Let's wait for the investigations, but this further death in such a short time raises many questions that need to be investigated and answered.

Prior to the incident, Captain Murray had been piloting vessels in and out of the Port of New York & New Jersey for over 8 years. The incident is being investigated by the United States Coast Guard.

Captain Murray is survived by his wife Erin, 5 children (Brennan, Rory, Grace, James, Ella), mother Kathleen and 3 siblings (Jackie, Sean and Kathleen).

The Marine-Pilots.com team is with the family and loved ones of Captain Timothy M. Murray.
We will be collecting and reporting more facts and figures in the next few hours.

What's your opinion on this?

Opinion A year ago, pilot Capt. Dennis Sherwood died in the line of duty

by Frank Diegel - published on 30 December 2020

It has been exactly one year ago that a pilot from Sandy Hook (New York), Dennis Sherwood, died in the line of duty while attempting to board the container vessel Maersk Kensington.
What has happened since then? Has safety been improved for the pilots?

Article In Memoriam of Captain Dennis R. Sherwood (1955 - 2019)

by Bianca Reineke, lutheran Pastor, Germany - published on 3 January 2020

Ladders are the bridges for crossing the rough seas of our lives.
When you are a Marine Pilot at work, hoping and praying that the ladders which let you embark the vessel are stable, safe and not dangerous.
In Memoriam of the late Captain Dennis Sherwood who passed away on Monday the 30th of December.

Article Request from the American Pilots’ Association to State Pilotage Authorities Regarding Pilot Safety

by Marine-Pilots.com - published on 20 February 2020

The American Pilots’ Association has sent a letter to state pilotage authorities across the United States on behalf of approximately 1,200 American ship pilots to improve safety pilot safety following the death of a New York pilot in December.

Video Incident between pilot boat and practical Nissos Chios (Balearia), leaving the port of Ceuta (Spain). June 2019

published on 11 December 2019

Incident between pilot boat and practical Nissos Chios (Balearia), leaving the port of Ceuta (Spain). June 2019

Article Gantry Crane Collision at Kaohsiung Port (Taiwan)

by Marine-Pilots.com - published on 3 June 2021

According to media reports from Taiwan, a collision between an OOCL vessel and a Gantry Crane occurred today (03.06.2021).

Video Marine Pilot falls in Water During Embarkation

published on 4 July 2019

We do not put videos of accidents on our website out of voyeurism. We would like to point out that the work of a pilot is always dangerous, especially when embarking and disembarking!
These incidents should be a warning. It can hit anyone out of carelessness.
Dear pilots, please always be mindful and always think of your safety!

Video RightShip Safety Insights - Pilot and Accommodation Ladders

published on 20 June 2023

Over the past two years, RightShip has reviewed more than 21,000 PSC inspections, assessed over 2,500 incidents, and inspected over 4,600 vessels. This is in addition to the reviewing a large number of SIRE reports as part of the vetting process. Despite the industry’s efforts and campaigns to educate, we have observed an upward trend in deficiencies and non-conformities involving pilot ladders and arrangements. The data gathered from RightShip Inspections indicates that the pilot ladder...

Article MARS-Report: Paltry PPU position predictor

by The Nautical Insitute - published on 18 August 2023

To monitor the vessel’s progress, the pilot had set up his portable pilotage unit (PPU). He had connected the rate-of-turn generator to the vessel’s pilot plug and had set a variable range marker on the radar with a radius of 0.5 nm.