3rd class pilot

The Port Phillip Sea Pilots launch Torquay off Point Lonsdale.
Ship spotting at Point Lonsdale and other water activities by Wally on Water.

Since October, pilots from Kiel have been unable to use their offshore transfer station. Long detours and limited rest periods have complicated their workdays, with no end in sight.

Such a function is also the result of hard work and at the same time an expression of high respect: Captain Erik Dalege (born 1962) is now the president of the umbrella organisation of European Pilots, EMPA for short (European Maritime Pilots Organisation).

For nearly 150 years, the Bar Pilots have protected our environment by safely guiding ocean-going vessels through our waterways.

returning to her St.Helier base

At the end of the disembarking procedure, the pilot jumps on ropes onto the pilot boat. Is this often seen practice safe? Can the pilot resolve the situation better?

"Person over board - all pilot boat crewmembers and pilots should be trained in recovery as realistic as possible. Don’t wait for a real emergency to find out that something doesn’t work as intended!"

photo and article by Luis Vale, Portugal

The busy Strait of Messina which separates the island of Sicily from the Italian mainland is now home to a new pilot boat, manufactured by Bellcraft and powered by Volvo Penta’s Inboard Performance System (IPS).

Product tanker NORTHSEA RATIONAL in load contacted embankment in Neumuelen, Hamburg, in the morning Nov 25, while maneuvering to berth, according to FleetMon.
It stated: “Tanker sustained serious damages to starboard bow, cause of accident yet unknown.
“She was berthed after accident, and as of evening Nov 25, remained, berthed. There was no hull breach in cargo tanks area, no cargo loss reported.”