Marine Pilots

We take a look at some of the dangerous ladder arrangements provided by ships when attempting to take maritime pilots on board. Our message is simple: if you are offered an unsafe or non-compliant ladder, do not board!

A 42-years-old fisherman died after an accident at sea along the Navula passage in Momi Bay yester-day morning. Police spokeswoman said the victim was a passenger of a fishing boat.

At the mouth of the Columbia River lies "The Graveyard of the Pacific"—the deadliest river bar crossing on earth. To get a massive cargo ship safely through these crushing waves, an elite Bar Pilot has to board a moving ship by climbing a rope ladder and get's hoisted off the ship by helicopter 10 miles off shore in the Pacific Ocean. In this episode of What do you Wanna Cook?: PORTS UNKNOWN, we get you as close to the action as humanly possible. We take you inside the cockpit for an...

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The Norwegian Coastal Administration's digital route service routeinfo.no provides over 600 digital sailing routes for navigation to all major ports in Norway. The service will support the navigators' route planning, and contribute to safer voyages.
A special thanks to Norwest Ship Management and Solstad Offshore for their contribution in this film.
©Kystverket/Appex

The following article appeared in AIMPA magazine number 2 about the strength and testing of pilot ladders : There is much more information about pilot ladders in the AIMPA magazine, second issue, if you wish to read more you can download a copy at the bottom of this post.

Case Study Video:
BHP - a global mining company and port owner – asked us to develop a test set-up to see what happens during a snapback event and evaluate their safety protection fence. The test data helped in the development of a safer protection fence and gave real insight into snapback behaviour.
Collaboration with BHP, Geobrugg and Wilhelmsen.

The latest MS Amlin Marine circular, compiled by theTechnical Loss Prevention Consultant Peter van der Kroft, focuses on the importance of pilot safety in marine navigation.

With effect from 1 June 2026, Steffen Schmedes has been appointed Managing Director of TRENZ GmbH. He will lead the company with immediate effect alongside Frank Diegel, who previously managed TRENZ alone.

Most pilot embarkations and disembarkations around the world, are still carried out using a traditional pilot ladder, consisting of wooden steps supported and secured by side ropes.