Assistant Harbour Master/Pilot

London Pilots (PLA) have issued an excellent quick reference guide for Pilot Transfer arrangements, which can be used for pilots as well as ship’s crews. Please take not of this document and if you can, try to incorporate it into your procedures.

Based on MAIB Safety Digest 1/2025, Case 12, published April 2025 by the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB).

Dr. Tobias Haack (Hadag)
Dirk Lehmann (Becker Marine System)
Evangelos Fragkoulis (Svitzer)
Moderation: Eva Beykirch (Navisense)

Let us start a journey back in time. Back to the black and white films of history. The times have changed, but it is good to know what kind of things have changed and where are the roots of pilotage.

In early December, just as I was starting to get into ship spotting, I saw a couple of vessels headed up river towards Philly. One of them, the Cielo di Iyo met with the harbor pilot right as I had my drone up. I was able to capture the Pilot coming to meet the vessel and CLIMBING the ladder to get on board just before she passed beneath the Walt Whitman Bridge.

Goodwin Sands, Kent. M/S bows of Trinity House ship "Ready". L/S "Tongue" lightship at sunset. Panning M/S from side to front of service ship (deck level). M/S lightship. M/S bridge of service ship, lightship passes. L/S two ships, pan to lightship. C/U ship's telegraph coming to "stop". M/S seaman pulls fresh water hose to lightship. L/S deck of service ship, general activity. C/U provisions waiting to be transported to lightship. M/S men passing food between ships. L/S side of...

Humphree motion control systems appear on these pages almost weekly. Established 19 years ago by a group of very experienced Swedish marine engineers, the company has made a distinguished name for its products in the comparatively short time since.

Here’s a cool video of the latest Interceptor 48 pilot boat we’ve launched for the Gdynia Pilots in Poland. We captured some nice alongside ship footage during the sea trials, and had a chance to test out our new drone ‘catch net’ on Thunder Child.

The latest summary from PTR Holland on the subject of pilot ladders. Here is the most important information on maintenance, use and replacement & insepection record book.