Opinion

Five questions for Douglas Vincett, Industrial & Technical Sales at Spinlock


published on 9 December 2020 153 -

In our new new section “Five questions for ..." Marine-Pilots.com introduces pilots and other market players to our readers in short interviews.

Today we have talked to Douglas Vincett, Industrial & Technical Sales at Spinlock.

What does your company offer and what makes your company unique? 
Spinlock are a leader and innovator in life jacket technology, designing products that offer maximum comfort as well as great in water performance.
 
What is your job at Spinlock and do you have to fulfil special requirements for the job?
I am responsible for developing industrial business at Spinlock as well as helping customer with any technical product enquires.  Pre-Spinlock I worked in the superyacht industry.  The time spent living aboard large yachts full of unique equipment gives me an affinity with those working on water and an understanding of their day-to-day needs. 

What is the best thing about your job and why?
There are many things I enjoy about my job but learning about a customer's product requirements is a fun part of the job, this can involve visiting customers on site, helping to conduct product testing in water and leads to future developments in our product range. 

What is special about offering services/products for pilots?
Spinlock design our life jackets to be more like a piece of sports equipment than basic PPE.  We want to help to prevent pilots from ending up in the water with less restrictive equipment that fits well to the body and allows a pilot to concentrate on the transfer itself.  Of course, if the pilot ends up in the water the Spinlock Deckvest offers great floatation coupled with unique location features like the Pylon and Lume-On life jacket lights.     
 
What is your opinion about Marine‐Pilots.com?
It is fantastic to see Marine-Pilots develop into a place where the global community of pilots can interact together sharing best practice it is great.  This sort of resource is so valuable to companies looking to introduce new products and ideas in to a select group while maintaining it as a professional forum for pilots to engage with their colleagues from around the world.

Editor's note:
Opinion pieces reflect the personal opinion of individual authors. They do not allow any conclusions to be drawn about a prevailing opinion in the respective editorial department. Opinion pieces might be deliberately formulated in a pronounced or even explicit tone and may contain biased arguments. They might be intended to polarise and stimulate discussion. In this, they deliberately differ from the factual articles you typically find on this platform, written to present facts and opinions in as balanced a manner as possible.
What's your opinion on this?
Login or register to write comments and join the discussion!
Read more...

Video 19 Meter FRP Pilot Boat | Patrol & VIP Boats | Delivered Fleet

published on 24 March 2026

Successfully delivered 19M FRP Pilot, Patrol, and Security Boat - built for performance, durability, and operational reliability.
The vessel River Pearl-39 is Owned by Knowledge Marine and Engineering Works (KMEW), fully operational with Mumbai Port Trust.
These vessels are designed to meet the rigorous demands of pilotage, coastal security, and marine operations with easy of handling and low maintainence.

0

Video 19 Meter FRP Pilot Boat | Patrol & VIP Boats | Delivered Fleet

published on 20 April 2026

Successfully delivered 19M FRP Pilot, Patrol, and Security Boat - built for performance, durability, and operational reliability.
The vessel River Pearl-39 is Owned by Knowledge Marine and Engineering Works (KMEW), fully operational with Mumbai Port Trust.
These vessels are designed to meet the rigorous demands of pilotage, coastal security, and marine operations with easy of handling and low maintainence.

0

Opinion Ships Pilot Elevator System

published on 27 July 2020

It is frequently a Maritime requirement for a ship to employ and have onboard, a Ships Pilot when entering port. His/ her presence will greatly enhance the safe docking of a vessel into port, harbor or to an anchorage.

0

Video Live test of 275 N lifejacket in combination with a backpack.

published on 30 September 2021

During a sea survival training, the 275 Newton standard issue of the Dutch pilots was put to the test in combination with a small backpack.

0

Video Port of Fremantle

published on 14 October 2019

Case Study: A study conducted for Fremantle Ports on vessel interacting within the harbour.

0

Video Unboxing the TRENZ Pilot Plug

published on 5 July 2019

In this video we show you the contents of the TRENZ Pilot Plug package.
Please visit https://trenz-pilotplug.com/ for more information.

0

Video IcePad Demonstration, MARSAT

published on 26 July 2019

IcePad Demonstration, MARSAT
a product driven by Drift + Noise and TRENZ GmbH, Germany

0

Opinion How OpenBridge seeks to improve maritime workplaces

by Prof. Kjetil Nordby Institute of Design - The Oslo School of Architecture and Design - published on 6 May 2020

Lack of standard user interfaces across bridge equipment is a major concern for maritime safety. Pilots are in a unique position, as they are constantly exposed to new and differing bridge working environments, equipment, interface designs and combinations of systems. As pilots face this problem throughout every shift they need to put in considerable effort to adjust their work to the many user interfaces they meet.

0

Video Columbia River pilots consider safety changes after Baltimore bridge collapse

published on 4 April 2024

After the bridge collapse in Baltimore, Columbia River pilots are looking at their safety measures to prevent another tragedy. Read the full story here: https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/columbia-river-bar-pilots-safety-measures-baltimore-bridge-collapse/283-2910f27c-04b3-4de3-b40f-50ae6ecdc694 Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/c/KGWNews8 Watch the latest KGW newscast: https://www.kgw.com/watch Get the KGW app: https://kgw.com/appredirect

0

Video ProZero 9m P-Top crew transfer

published on 30 April 2020

The boat is specially designed for transport of up to 12 passengers and 2 crewat high speeds. Sheltered steering position with full enclosed front, raises the comfort onboard. The boat is significantly lighter than the market average which benefits fuel consumption and adds to the already proven seaworthiness. 9m ProZero P-top crew boat is designed for quick and safe transfer mission of personel and cargo. The boat is built in light-weight materials to decrease weight and enhance mission...

0