Loadmaster & Marine Pilots

New pilot vessel, the TRENT, has joined ABP Humber’s fleet at the port of Grimsby. An investment of £1.2 million, the TRENT is the second in class, Orc design 171, to be delivered to the Humber as part of ABP’s pilot boat replacement programme.

Here's a realtime run-through of the #EVERGIVEN accident. After it gets stuck, check out the vessel two behind Evergiven - moving "somewhat erratically" and almost crashing into the Maersk Denver in front.

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...

Pilotage is being able to navigate safely into and out of a harbour/anchorage/port knowing where you are at all times, where your hazards are and a safe route in/out. This is particularly useful if you are heading into somewhere new or a challenging/busy area – or both!

The Los Angeles Pilot Service has welcomed two new pilot boats, Angels Pilot and Angels Navigator, to the Port of Los Angeles. The 56-foot boats custom-built by Vigor Industrial made their way from Vancouver, Wash. to replace older pilot boats, Phineas Banning and Stephen M. White, which both served the Port of Los Angeles for more than 25 years and were recently retired. The new pilot boats are equipped with the latest safety, navigation, and fuel efficiency features designed to help the...

Researchers have observed an unexpectedly high frequency of towering waves in the German North Sea, particularly near the island of Norderney. These extreme waves pose a significant risk to maritime infrastructure, including ships, offshore wind farms, and research platforms.

How to get information for wind & current limits to be potentially encountered by thrusters – or current? - this will be described in this movie:
- Measure Drift speed, due to beam wind with no propulsion;
- Measure drift speed using full thrusters
- Estimate wind & current limits to be potentially encountered by thrusters – or current...
- Finally there is a simple formula as Rule of Thumb: the transverse drift speed is about 7-8% of wind speed!

Tuesday, September 15, 2009 finds the New York Harbor Pilot Boat No. 1 overtaking the Circle Line Zephyr on a Hidden Harbor Cruise along the Kill van Kull.