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

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 PilotTracker Case Study the Greater Houston Port Bureau - GHPB

published on 4 November 2022

The Port of Houston has been implementing Pilot Tracker, to improve efficiency and decision-making processes through data sharing.
According to Christine Schlenker, VP of the Greater Houston Bureau, “ Pilot Tracker is a good first step for port digitalisation, because it’s easy to implement and it has a strong, immediate impact for the port community”.
Want to know more about Pilot Tracker? Visit the link below and get in touch with one of our team members!
https://port-xchange.com/...

0

Video AIS Personal Emergency Transmitter can be easy fitted into your automatic lifejacket

published on 10 September 2020

Weatherdock demonstrates how easy the AIS MOB easyONE could be fittetd into your given automatic lifejacket and how the emergency transmitter is triggered automatically in case of emergency.

0

Article TRENZ Introduces SIRIUS+: The Next Generation PPU with Enhanced Performance

by TRENZ GmbH - published on 15 May 2025

TRENZ, a leading manufacturer from Germany, is expanding its product lineup with the launch of SIRIUS+, a high-performance Portable Pilot Unit (PPU). As an evolution of the widely recognized SIRIUS model, the new device features cutting-edge technology designed for maximum precision and reliability, particularly for use on Ultra Large Container Vessels (ULCVs).

1

Video SafeTug in Action

published on 3 September 2019

At 244 meters long, 42 meters wide, made up of 57,000 tons of steel and carrying approximately $41 million dollars’ worth of cargo, when the personnel at Teesport bring the Agathonissos – and vessels like her – into dock, there’s no room for error.
Watch this video to see how SafeTug helps to simplify this complex process, giving tug skippers, ship pilots and port personnel the vital information and situational awareness they need to bring her in safely.

0

Video Entering the Port of Vitória

published on 22 April 2022

Let's enter the Port of Vitória? Marcelo Silva takes us through the channel. He leads a ship 213 meters long and 32 meters wide to the berth. Draught ahead 8,70m and aft 9,60m. Air draught 44,10 m.

1