Mersey pilot boat runs aground, and Polish ship, Pilsudski, is sunk (1939)

Let us start a journey back in time. Back to the black and white films of history. The times have changed, but it is good to know what kind of things have changed and where are the roots of pilotage.

Look at Life Vol 01 Transport Pilot Aboard 1963
The story of Britain's pilotage services.

The Maryland Pilots have guided ships to and from Baltimore since the 1700's. They have been chartered as an organization since 1852. This is an edited except from films about the Pilots shot between 1950-1965 for the Port that Built a City and State. The original films are in the archives of the Baltimore Museum of Industry.

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

The new design, is based below the waterline upon our Barracuda deep ‘V’ planning hull, fully proven in service with versions operating as pilot and S.A.R. craft.

Editors note: A film of a pilot boat has just been published on YouTube with the title "How Dangerous being in a Pilot Boat..." on YouTube. I'm not sure if this really shows a dangerous maneuver, maybe the experts can comment on it here.
But in principle it is problematic to approach the ship in such a small Pilot Boat in the wake from astern and cross the waves there. I remember an accident from Finland in December 2017 where the boat capsized and people died. Is this situation shown here...

Med Marine and IBK Ltd. signed a two-vessel contract for MED-P16 series last November for Nigerian Ports Authority’s operations in Lagos, Nigeria. A year after that, Nigerian Ports Authority takes the delivery of the two high- quality pilot boats. Both units have been despatched on a specialised transport vessel to Nigeria from Turkey.

Successfully delivered 19M FRP Pilot, Patrol, and Security Boat - built for performance, durability, and operational reliability.
The vessel River Pearl-39 is Owned by Knowledge Marine and Engineering Works (KMEW), fully operational with Mumbai Port Trust.
These vessels are designed to meet the rigorous demands of pilotage, coastal security, and marine operations with easy of handling and low maintainence.

Fathom Safety now offers an online course on Pilot Ladder Training

The term Automatic Identification System (AIS) refers to a radio system that improves the safety and guidance of vessel traffic by exchanging navigation and other vessel data.