Marine Port Pilot, Port Operations

The Winter 2023 edition of the BPC Pilotage Quarterly is out now!

The British Ports Association has launched a new initiative looking at the implications of autonomous shipping for UK ports, including a call for evidence from interested parties. Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) involves the automation of vessel and onboard processes which could alter how ports and ships interface with each other. The BPA which represents the majority of UK port activity including 85% of the shipping movements in and out of the country, is keen to explore what the future developments of shipping will mean for the sector.

A cargo ship is guided into Port by the Pilot boat on a breezy February morning- Filmed with a Sony RX10 Mk iv
Ship - Fast Sim
Port- Shoreham

Ships have reported an increasing number of cases of significant GPS interference and jamming in recent months. The geographic areas with more than one reported incident include the eastern and central Mediterranean Sea, the Persian Gulf, and multiple Chinese ports.

Boat to boat Pilot transfer, to the Pilot Vessel Golden Gate, under the Golden Gate Bridge.

EMSA has published their latest edition of their Newsletter.

Within seconds after the AIS MOB personal locator beacon easyONE-DSC is submerged into the water, the unit activates automatically and starts trasnmitting AIS and DSC alerts into vicinity of up to 7 nauticval miles.
You can also see the bright and strong red LED flare flashing which increases visibility of the victim in darkness drastically.
More product information

The P and O ship Adonia leaving Lisbon on 3-11-14. This was the Pilot's second attempt to leave the ship. A smaller cutter found the seas too rough to take off the Pilot so this larger cutter took over.

The individual pilot operates as part of a pilotage organisation. And, as with so many things, the whole is (much) more than the sum of the parts ...