Corporate - Maritime Pilots Institute - Image film

Here’s a cool little video of the 12.5m Barracuda SV we have just launched out on her rough weather sea trials recently, with some great Arial drone footage of her going through some fairly big breaking seas offshore.
Built for ‘Future Defence’ in the USA she is designed for search & rescue and coastal patrol duties. She is fully self-righting, able to recover if capsized by a large breaking sea and capable of all-weather operations. Powered by a pair of Caterpillar C8.7 650hp engines, ZF...

The smart fairway digitalization pilot is a part of the EMMA Extension project that is funded by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme. This summer, 34 smart buoys were installed in the Saimaa deep fairway, which is Finland’s most important inland waterway for merchant shipping.
Safety is enhanced in particular by the fact that the pilots and VTS can adjust the light output of beacons and the rhythm of lights to support the navigation of vessels in poor visibility and weather conditions....

I am not a computer savvy. My knowledge in programming and robotics and those sort of things is nil. I get lost in the sea of social media and easily entangle myself in the web. All I have done for the last 25 years or so is to pilot ships through the Panama Canal. However, during the last couple of years I have done my best to catch up with technology, since it has enhanced our possibilities and improved safety in our field. But still, I have to admit that I am way behind the new guys in this important issue.

A ship may berth port or starboard side on or bow or stem on. The term “berth” refers to the quay, or wharf, or, pier or jetty where the ship comes alongside, but it may also mean a place in which a vessel is moored or anchored.

From our deck 12 cabin balcony, some footage of the pilot boat coming alongside Virgin Voyages' cruise ship Scarlet Lady in the Solent between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. If you're expecting action and excitement then brace yourself for not quite that at all, but it is fairly impressive how close the pilot boat gets to the larger vessel, bouncing around on the waves. I did want to see the pilot leap from the ship to the boat but in truth got tired of waiting so if that's the bit...

On 17.01.2021, at 12:35 pm, the research conducted by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure based on the distress signal received from the Satellite Assisted Search and Rescue System (Cospas-Sarsat system), it was found that the Palau flagged Arvin ship was sunk, and the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Main Search and Rescue Coordination Center Search and rescue elements were immediately dispatched to the region. Due to adverse weather conditions, the ship anchored in the...

This expert article is based on a presentation given by Capt. Pilot Sven Stemmler at the MCN's (Maritimes Cluster Norddeutschland e. V. ) event ‘On the Future of the Pilot Profession’ at Fraunhofer CML in Hamburg on 9 September 2025.