Incident on 31 January 2020 : A rope of the pilot ladder breaks. Pilot could still reach the vessel

From that moment on I have been keeping a tally of the non compliant boarding arrangements I see in front of me on a daily base, and off course I participate in the annual safety campaign, conducted by IMPA each october.

A 35-year-old male sea pilot of the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) fell into the sea from a crude oil tanker near the N Shed Wharf in the port of Durban. A rope of the pilot ladder is said to have snapped for an undetermined reason when the man disembarked while leaving the crude oil tanker which was leaving the port of Durban.

Before you, you see my third article on pilot boarding arrangements. After my two previous articles ‘1000 ways to secure a pilot ladder’ and ‘1000 ladders around’, I have received a lot of feedback and also questions to get deeper into the matter of combinations and embarkation platforms.

After years of looking, the Port of Grays Harbor has its new pilot boat, the Vega, to replace the 60-year-old Chehalis.

On the 23rd of March 2021 the VLCC Ever Given grounded in the Suez Canal. A strong southerly wind (between 6 and 7 BFT) plus so-called bank shear caused steering issues. This a combined 2D and 3D reconstruction of the incident based on recorded AIS data.

The Port of Klaipeda in Lithuania has placed an order for two pilot boats in a series to be built by Estonia-based Baltic Workboats. The contract for the vessels has an estimated value of €6.5 million (US$7 million).

The Port of Milford Haven’s new pilot vessel has reached a key project milestone with a successful launch in the Netherlands, where the craft is currently under construction.

The Journal of the international Maritime Pilots´ Association

Vlaanderen is één van de drukste scheepvaartregio’s ter wereld. Loodsen assisteren schepen bij het aanlopen en verlaten van de havens in Vlaanderen. De bemanning van Vloot zorgt ervoor dat de loodsen aan en van boord geraken van de te beloodsen schepen. Op zee maken ze hiervoor gebruik van de Wandelaar, een SWATH en een jol.

River Mersey Pilot Boat going slowly inbound on the river before turning and heading northbound again.