IMPA open letter - Crew exchange in times of corona

The Seminar aims to inform Member States, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations in consultative status with IMO about the societal value of maritime pilots and pilotage as a public service. The IMO Secretary-General has recognised maritime pilots as having always been vital to ensuring the safety of navigation in key ports and shipping lanes globally and playing a crucial role in sustaining the global supply chain using specialized knowledge and expertise....

There are many things in both our everyday and professional lives which we take for granted and never question the origins of, an example of this might be the IMPA recommended ‘pilot mark or pilot line’, which is sometimes seen on the side of vessels indicating where a vessels freeboard exceeds 9 metres.

An information sheet for marine pilots about novel coronavirus. Published by the Australian Government - Department of Health

The growing influence of AIS data and analytics has shed the light on the increasing demand for new, smarter solutions in the maritime domain. During this interactive session, we discuss with AIS industry experts how we can take oceans of data and turn it into streams of actionable intelligence for better decision-making and more efficient and transparent shipping.

The United Kingdom Maritime Pilots' Association (UKMPA) has all been inundated with CV19 communications from all manner of sources in the last few weeks. Here is a condensed collection of information from the UKMPA.

With the theme, "The Next Wave – Navigating Towards the Digital Future, the 12th biennial Congress will be delivered virtually from 5 - 10 October, 2020.

There are some problems that never seem to go away and one is the perennial difficulties in providing a safe way of getting pilots on and off a ship.

Following a review Harwich Haven Authority (the Authority), in its role as a Competent Harbour Authority (CHA), has applied to the Department for Transport (the Department) to extend its existing area of voluntary pilotage to include the western most areas of Hamford Water and Oakley Creek in the area known as the Walton Backwaters.

Here's a nice little video of sea trials during the recent unseasonal storm we had last month, which produced some pretty rough conditions at the entrance to Cork Harbour. We managed to capture some nice footage of the Barracuda and Thunder Child II on the day.

Today, the MV GOLDEN BRILLIANT, a 225 m long bulk carrier came in at sunrise, underway to EMO terminal, Mississippihaven in Port of Rotterdam. We were assisted by two tugboats, the BUGSIER 12 and MULTRATUG 3. It was cold and very windy, but the Philippino crew dit an outstanding job! The only way to say goodbye these days is the much acclaimed “ Corona Handshake” to master and crew.