Brightlingsea Harbour – a mixed leisure and commercial port on the East Coast of England
has recently signed contracts with Seaward to have a new pilot boat built, The demands of Pilot duties as well as working as a patrol boat and harbour launch, and the sea conditions that can occur in the area made the Nelson hulled Seaward the natural choice of vessel.
Owen Evans, Deputy Harbour Master at Brightlingsea said “The Seaward 29 will fulfil the need for small commercial ports such as Brightlingsea to viably continue acts of pilotage without the need to spend the great deal of money required on a larger 50ft+ version that is industry standard for larger deep water ports.”
The Seaward Nelson 29 pilot boat, like all of Seaward’s pilot boat range, retains the time-tested and world proven qualities of the refined Nelson hull form that is unrivalled in its sea-keeping and handling abilities and to which many users return repeatedly.
Seaward produce a commercial range of Nelson design craft from 19’ to 46’
Video Pilot boat heading to the river tees Redcar
published on 19 April 2022
Small pilot boat river Tees Redcar gallery https://www.kateyjanephotography.co.uk/Ships-by-Katey-Jane-Photography/River-Tees-ships-and-boats/ All photos are available to buy as prints, wall art, gifts and downloads. My photos are sold worldwide to magazines, books, personal use, documentary and research. All ship galleries https://www.kateyjanephotography.co.uk/Ships-by-Katey-Jane-Photography Main website https://www.kateyjanephotography.co.uk/ Copyright Katey jane photography.
Video Baltic Workboats Steams into the U.S. Pilot Boat Market
published on 29 January 2026
Based in Estonia, Baltic Workboats is a long-tenured boatbuilder for multiple markets, including the demanding pilot boat sector. Late in 2025 in New Orleans BWB debuted a new hybrid electric 17m model, a boat that leans on more than 15 years of accrued experience building larger hybrid electric vessels. Carl Mahler, BWB’s North American sales lead and a harbor pilot himself, discussed with Maritime Reporter TV the value proposition offered by the shipyard, from manufacturing process to...
Video From Pilot boat to Vessel Bridge
published on 19 December 2021
Video Pilot Boat Docking Lake Erie
published on 20 June 2022
Article Hybrid-electric Pilot Boat Delivered in Singapore
published on 9 April 2021
Article Pilots in Louisiana: Legislators put aside proposed rule changes
published on 25 January 2022
Video Vessel "ELSE" crashes into closed lock gate in Kiel-Holtenau on 29.08.2020
published on 31 August 2020
Shortly after 5 a.m. local time the vessel “Else” had a collision in the Kiel-Holtenau lock to the Kiel Canal.
The "Else" subject to pilotage passed the pilot's boarding position without taking a sea pilot on board and collided from the outside into the closed gate of the new north lock. The bow bored into the metal construction and the ship was stuck for about six hours.
For more information about this accident see related content below (articles).
Article Results online survey into the securing methods of pilot ladders
by Herman Broers - published on 5 March 2021
It has been shown that a majority (51%) of pilot ladders is secured by means of D-shackles, when secured at intermediate length. Previous research (Evans, 2020) has proven that this method has only about 50% of the strength of the pilot ladder when secured at full length (“double ended ladder”), or by means of the “endless-sling” method.
Article Update: "Strength of Pilot Ladders and Intermediate Securing of Pilot Ladders"
by Capt. Troy Evans - published on 2 November 2020
An investigation into actual strength of ladders and intermediate securing methods used.
Capt. and Marine Pilot Troy Evans (New Zealand) decided to look into pilot ladder strength and intermediate securing arrangements after MNZ put out what he felt was a confusing and unclear document about securing of pilot ladders.
