Opinion

A few words about pilot safety and Merry Christmas


by Frank Diegel - published on 23 December 2021 204 -

photo by harbourpilot.es

Things are moving

Pilot safety is always close to our hearts at Marine-Pilots.com. The job of pilots is more dangerous than many others, as they are always exposed to all the elements of this world at all times, while ensuring the safe passage of ships. My personal impression is that a lot has changed in terms of safety in the last two years. Non-compliance with current legislation that directly affects the safety of pilots is now no longer tolerated by many stakeholders. Something is happening. And that is a good thing.

Knowledge protects lives

The rules for correctly rigging a pilot ladder may seem complicated, and often there is simply a lack of knowledge on how to do it properly. Ongoing education and training is important here. This applies not only to the persons responsible for ensuring that a pilot ladder is used in the correct condition and in accordance with the rules, but especially to the pilot himself.

If the pilot himself is not fully aware of the applicable rules, and cannot accurately judge for himself when the ladder arrangement does not comply with the regulations, then he cannot protect himself and his colleagues. He cannot educate others either. If the pilot knowingly or unknowingly accepts non-compliant ladders, then he is not doing his own safety in particular or the safety of all pilots any favours.

The pilot himself is his own worst enemy!


My thanks to the tireless enlighteners

Today I would like to thank in particular those people who unselfishly invest their private time again and again to make the pilot's environment safer. In doing so, you persistently focus on information and education. Again and again. Thank you for always giving your information, articles and videos to Marine-Pilots.com for dissemination to our community. Your work is worth sharing and seeing.

This is especially true for the initiators of the #DangerousLadders group on Facebook, but also for the website www.pilotladdersafety.com, which collects all the information and rules on pilot ladder safety and presents them clearly. But I would also like to thank the many others who are committed to greater safety. I don't want to mention individual names here today, because my list can only be incomplete. But I think you know which people I mean. Thank you all!
Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all followers of Marine-Pilots.com.

Thank you for your support, and for growing our great community again this year.


Christmas greetings
Frank
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.
Maritime software and hardware development, digitalisation

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Herman Broers Loodswezen Rotterdam - Rijnmond, Netherlands
on 24 December 2021, 08:17 UTC

Frank, your own contributions to the awareness aboput the profession and the safety of our colleagues cannot be forgotten as well. Keep up the good work. Frohe Weihnachten und ein glückliches neues Jahr!
1

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