Marine Pilot

Article and pictures by Captain W J M Hargreaves, Retired Southampton Pilot

Willemstad, Curacao- Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge.

Hardest part of getting on board of a ship is climbing up on a maximum height of pilot ladder as 9m. Vessel on that video is a 27kdwt bulk carrier in ballast condition bound for İstanbul strait northbound passage.

In fact, the pivot point that we “see” is a trick of the eye, it looks like the ship is rotating about this point but in fact it is elsewhere, a point that you cannot see.

This expert article is based on a presentation given by Capt. Pilot Sven Stemmler at the MCN's (Maritimes Cluster Norddeutschland e. V. ) event ‘On the Future of the Pilot Profession’ at Fraunhofer CML in Hamburg on 9 September 2025.

6,394 returns from participating IMPA members to 2020 survey have been edited to this years pilot ladder safety survey.

Dowload the full report below (PDF).

#viral #life #ship #seafarers #awesome #viralvideo #hardwork #amazing #lifeofaseafarer #china #port #rizhao #timelapse
The Port of Rizhao is a natural deep-water seaport on the coast of the city of Rizhao, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China, located on the southern shore of Shandong Peninsula, opening to the Yellow Sea. It has 46 deep-water berths in two main port areas. Wikipedia

Pilotage

Cruise Ship Business in Miami, USA

According to information from Simon Pelletier, President of IMPA, it was resolved at the IMO Maritime Safety Committee 106 on 08.11.2022 to open up the SOLAS Convention for amendment in respect of pilot boarding arrangements.