Marine Pilot / Napier

#MaidenVoyage #HMMalgeciras #HMM
The maiden voyage of HMM Algeciras #12-London
London Landing: The HMM Algeciras, the world's largest containership as 24,000TEU, arrives alongside at the London Gateway port for its last European call before departing back to Asia.

In 2006 I was invited to join Port of London Pilot Capt. Tom Miller on one of his last few voyages before his retirement. A pilot cutter ferried us from the Gravesend Port office to the Port of London Terminal where the Hebridean Spirit waited for us to board. Once aboard, the ship's captain manoeuvred the vessel off its moorings and into the channel. After handing the vessel over to Capt. Miller, the Captain joined the ship's company for dinner, and the first offer and a helmsman remained...

In August 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Formosabulk Clement diverted to Brisbane, Queensland for crew change, to be completed to/from a launch via the combination pilot ladder. At the time, Queensland was the easiest jurisdiction in Australia for ships to conduct crew change due to the State’s extensive quarantine arrangements for transporting and accommodating seafarers.

As a rule, every pilot has the right to refuse an unsafe ladder. Safety first! A brave pilot is not the one who uses an unsafe ladder, but the one who, in case of doubt, asks for a different ladder or a different setting.
Unfortunately, too many pilots climb a dubious ladder when in doubt.

The Bridgemans Services Group has taken delivery of a new search and rescue (SAR) boat that can also be used for pilot transfer, firefighting, and pollution response duties.

A recent case reported by the International Transport Intermediaries Club (ITIC) underscores how a seemingly minor oversight can lead to significant costs.

A selection of webcams from all over the world are now available at Marine-Pilots.com

Many consider the Bristol Channel pilot cutter to be the finest sailing boat design ever. Fast, seaworthy and beautiful to behold, the pilot cutter is the perfect combination of form and function - a thoroughbred perfectly adapted to a life in one of the Britain's most treacherous stretches of water. Sailor and writer Tom Cunliffe explores the life of the pilots and sails a perfectly restored cutter to find out just what drove these men and their wonderful machines.

An innovative approach to marine pilotage recruitment and training has increased the breadth of skills and knowledge in our marine team and set us up for the long term.

Accurate and real-time pilot movement information is vital for port communities and their customers, whether you are a ship operator planning an upcoming port call, a terminal operator planning the berth scheduling, or a port agent arranging cargo and husbandry services. By receiving timely updates of scheduled and actual vessel movements at port, this will allow each stakeholder to plan and execute their day-to-day operations accordingly.