Navtech 2021

We bid farewell to our Otaru marine pilot just outside Otaru Harbor, Japan. The crew of the pilot tug were particularly fastidious about not marking up the side of the Viking Orion during the operations, spraying the interface with water, even though that might have made the transfer more hazardous for the pilot. From the Viking Orion, October 2024

Here’s a nice little video of rough weather sea trials that coincided with ‘Storm Agnes’ last week in the Interceptor 48 pilot boat ‘Svitzer Oued Laou’. The storm produced some pretty big waves at the entrance to Cork Harbour, and strong winds during the height of the storm. We managed to capture some cool footage from Roches PT lighthouse. It was fairly rough, although by not coinciding with the ebbing tide conditions aboard were quite comfortable, and our Pilot 48 handled it effortlessly...

May is Maritime Month at the Port of San Diego and we are proud to highlight some of our hardworking men and women of the Working Waterfront. Meet Captain Lyle Donovan, a San Diego Bay pilot with the San Diego Bay Pilots Association. His work consists of guiding ships in and out of San Diego Bay in a safe and efficient manner. A typical day includes guiding a 650-foot car carrying vessel or a 950-foot cruise ship into San Diego Bay. This entails boarding the vessels by climbing up a ladder,...

According to a report by thebahamasweekly.com, IMS Bahamas’ Marine Pilots have been licensed by the Ministry of Transport and the Port Department to Pilot vessels in the Greater Bimini Area.

Marine Terminal Operations CVQ

A group of Pilots from the Sandy Hook Pilot Association joined us for a ride along on a damp winter day.

Container ship SHAHRAZ and bulk carrier SAMUDRA SAKTI I are reported to run aground in Singapore Strait south of St John Island at around 1900 UTC May 10, close to each other, while proceeding in the same direction, probably trying to avoid collision. As of 0700 UTC May 11, both ships remain in the same positions, coordinates don’t change. SHAHRAZ is en route from Port Klang to Yangshan China, SAMUDRA SAKTI I is en route from Belawan to Bayah, southwest Java.

A cargo ship lost power while approaching the dock at the Port of Tampa Thursday. Officials said quick thinking by harbor pilots and tug boats got it under control.

The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Canada that runs 42 km (27.0 miles) from Port Colborne, Ontario on Lake Erie to Port Weller, Ontario on Lake Ontario. As part of the St. Lawrence Seaway, the canal allows ships to traverse the Niagara Escarpment and avoid Niagara Falls. FOR THE SPRINKLERS QUESTION HERE IS YOUR ANSWER: "Hogging is a term used when a vessel is bent up in the middle due to any number of factors. On the Great Lakes this happens to vessels in hot weather where the upper part...

In the pre-dawn hours and many other times of the day, local pilots safely guide cruise ships and cargo ships into BVI ports. The pilots provide local knowledge to the ships' captains to ensure safe arrivals and departures. In order to do this, it requires the pilot to climb from one moving vessel to the other. While this maneuver is taking place, the pilot vessel must maintain speed and stay parallel to the ship, allowing the pilot's safe transfer from one vessel to the other. They make...