Crew pilot boat in Saudi

Filmed by James O'Donnell.
Departure of DOUCE FRANCE from DP World London Gateway Berth #3, ebb tide, SW 20kt wind, 1800 GMT on the 13th of March 2021.

Over the course of 4 days this August, I was afforded the opportunity and privilege of riding with the Savannah Bar Pilots for an article I was writing for a major maritime magazine. The pilots are given the responsibility of boarding a vessel in the Atlantic Ocean and safely navigating the vessel up the Tybee Road 9 (a name for the shipping lane that leads into the Savannah River), into the Savannah River, and into the Port of Savannah. The same is done in reverse when a ship is outbound...

The Port Phillip Sea pilots launch Torquay out and back again, seen at Point Lonsdale, Vic, Aust.
Ship spotting at Point Lonsdale and other water activities by Wally on Water.

Winners of the 2021 MSC Maritime Art Prize have been announced in front of an international audience via a live-streamed event at Dockland’s iconic Mission to Seafarers Victoria (MtSV).

I decided to show the typical happenings when a saltwater freighter arrives Duluth. Most of the time they go to anchor and wait for the Elevator dock. The Pilot Boat brings out the Great Lakes Pilot to sail the ship into the port and to the dock. This vessel arrived early Sunday morning, went to anchor until mid afternoon. They are loading grain at the CHS Elevator in Superor.

Qualified pilots are usually employed by the local port or maritime administration, and provide their services to ships for a fee, calculated in relation to the ship’s tonnage, draught or other criteria.

by Casual Navigation

In this Time-lapse and Bodycam clip, the ULCS EVER GOVERN is underway to sea. There I am met by the Pilot Station Vessel PROCYON and transferred to the inbound MT STEN FJELL underway to Europoort again.

APA says: “Pilots share NOAA’s goal of protecting the North Atlantic right whale, but this is the wrong approach.”

Managing the Attributes of Pilot Errors in the Process of Redevelopment of Marine Pilot Reliability Index MPRI): A Systematic Literature Review