Article

New article by The Standard Club: "Remote pilotage - perspective and risks to consider"

by Marine-Pilots.com - published on 8 June 2020 - 417 -

Show comment section |

Article and picture by The Standard Club - Published on 5th June 2020 on their website

Author:
John Dolan
Deputy Director of Loss Prevention
john.dolan@ctplc.com
+44 20 7522 7531

Author Capt. John Dolan says: "We would not recommend remote pilotage when the ship is berthing or unberthing. These operations require the presence and advice of an experienced pilot who has extensive local knowledge and who is usually assisted by port tugs."

The shipping industry has always been characterised by uncertain and volatile markets, stricter regulations and rapid evolution of technology.
However, these conditions are fluctuating more aggressively in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are seeing unprecedented impacts on the movement of cargoes, domestically and internationally, as the world adjusts to the new ‘normal’ of port delays, restrictions on ship movements and, in some cases, the reduced availability of support personnel to assist the vessels’ movements.

In this article, Captain John Dolan, Deputy Director of Loss Prevention, acknowledges the risk factors that should be carefully considered before the practise of remote pilotage is undertaken, and shares club concerns and recommendations.

Original article on The Standard Club website (PDF)

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.

Join the conversation...

Louis Vest Houston Pilots, USA

on 12 June 2020, 05:58 UTC

Little by little we are developing the technology to do this. Probably within the next few decades a pilot could get a call at home, make some coffee and step into a specially equipped room that has a 5G or better internet connection and several panoramic screens like a small ship simulator. Appearing on those screens will be video input from the ship which will arrive along with radar, ais, ECDIS, gyro, DGPS, rpm and other data. A headset will allow him/her to talk to the captain using a remote microphone to talk to VTS and other traffic over VHF as necessary. The only real difference from being actually on board the ship will be looking at a bank of video screens instead of a bank of windows. That is not an insurmountable difficulty. Pilots already navigate in shut out visibility using only their radar and DGPS displays. At night or in reduced visibility the bank of screens could even show a photographic quality computer image of the channel generated using the ships exact position and heading. Microsoft Flight Simulator has been showing detailed images of real cities and landscapes since the 1980s. In Houston pilotage when turning a large car carrier or container ship in a tight basin it was actually easier to turn the ship using the God's eye view on my laptop (while constantly confirming distances with the tugs and mates) rather than try to guess where the bow and stern were.

We took the first steps down this road when we required Bluetooth transmission from the ship's AIS to the pilot's carry-on laptop. Radar and other data should join the service available to the pilot's onboard laptop and eventually to a remote computer.

All that will get you damn close to the dock, but at this point I'd want to be out on the bridge wing with the wind in my hair for the last bit of docking. I was never comfortable even docking in an enclosed bridge wing. I suppose with enough practice I could dock with a computer. It would take some sophisticated gear to measure distance off and closing rate but that equipment already exists too.

I can't see any substitution for an apprenticeship that is served on board ships. Learn there first then graduate in baby steps with intermediate qualifications to full remote pilot certification.

[show more]

Article Wärtsilä simulation technology creating an essential testing environment for smart marine solutions

by Wärtsilä Corporation - published on 26 March 2020

The technology group Wärtsilä has delivered a navigation simulator and specific mathematical models to the Satakunta University of Applied Sciences (SAMK) in the city of Rauma, Finland. These will be used as an essential enabler in the Intelligent Shipping Technology Test Laboratory (ISTLAB) project, which aims at creating a technically precise testing environment for remotely controlled, autonomous vessels. The contract with Wärtsilä was signed in the 4th quarter of 2019.

Article "Pilotage Escort" among Covid-19 measures introduced at Peterhead Port

by Marine-Pilots.com - published on 17 April 2020

According to "Buchan Observer": Peterhead Port Authority has introduced remote pilotage for selected vessels entering the harbour as part of a package of measures designed to reduce the risk of staff and users contracting the Covid-19 virus.

Article The Risks of Remote Pilotage in an Intelligent Fairway - preliminary considerations

by Marine-Pilots.com - published on 1 July 2020

Conference Paper (PDF) by ResearchGate: International Seminar on Safety and Security of Autonomous Vessels (ISSAV) and European STAMP Workshop and Conference (ESWC) 2019, At Helsinki, Finland

Video Lynx pilot boat

published on 16 July 2020

16mt HSLC CLASS ALUMINIUM PILOT BOAT engineered & build by LYNX.

Article Effects of the Chinese New Year on the global ship traffic

by Simone Moser, LuxSpace Sàrl - published on 29 January 2020

This year, the Chinese New Year holiday celebrates the year of the Rat. The Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival or Lunar New Year is celebrated by more than 20% of the world’s population. More than that, it is also the longest seasonal holiday in China. Most of the population saves up its annual holidays to take a few weeks off and spend time with the family.

Video Maiden voyage of HMM Algeciras #4-Ningbo-navigating

published on 10 June 2020

View from the Bridge as the pilot navigates our 24,000 TEU vessel through the busy shipping channel safely to its berth. HMM thanks all the Pilots, Tug-Masters and Berthing Gangs for their important role in the safe passage of our fleet.

Video Huge ship crane collapses during tests in the port of Rostock, Germany

published on 3 May 2020

Rostock; 02.05.2020: Actually, the special ship with the giant heavy-lift crane crane, which was designed for over 5,000 tons load capacity, was supposed to be delivered in the next few days. During final tests the crane broke off in the afternoon of May 2. Four people were injured in the accident. This is the second accident with Liebherr cranes this year in the Rostock overseas port. Already in February this year two cranes were reported to have fallen into the water during loading....

Article Kiel Canal, Germany : Freighter rams Kiel lock gate on Sun 14th Mar 2021

by Frank Diegel - published on 14 March 2021

An accident occurred in the Kiel Canal lock at Kiel-Holtenau. A freighter crashed into the gate of the north chamber on Saturday. The Kiel Canal is the busiest man-made waterway in the world.

Opinion Rituals around shipping. The „Titanic“ never got its name in a christening...

by Bianca Reineke, lutheran Pastor, Germany - published on 3 March 2020

Do you ever leave the harbour to get on a vessel you will guide along without a ritual? Whatever we trust in, whatever the rituals or traditions you Marine Pilots have - when you board your pilot boats, climb the ladders, get the vessels through the harbour - keep them and cherish them, they are good and they are important.

Video Pilots gets off Huron Belle Pilot boat and climbs aboard CSL Assiniboine - 08.04.19

published on 25 February 2020

"This is a Lakes Pilot hopping off the Huron Belle Pilot boat after we've pulled alongside the CSL Assiniboine on the Detroit River just above the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit, MI
He walks along the side of the Pilot boat, holding onto the railing and then after the gangway from the ship is lowered into position, he steps up and pulls himself up to then begin walking up the gangway to the deck where he is greeted by the crew.
We then see one of the crew from the Pilot boat tieing up the...