There are many things in both our everyday and professional lives which we take for granted and never question the origins of, an example of this might be the IMPA recommended ‘pilot mark or pilot line’, which is sometimes seen on the side of vessels indicating where a vessels freeboard exceeds 9 metres.

During the transit time on the pilot launch between the shore and the vessel, marine pilots will spend at least a portion of that time carrying out (either consciously or subconsciously) a risk assessment of the forthcoming operation.

Over the past few years a number of pilot transfer accidents have occurred resulting from total failure of the side ropes, one school of thought is that the methods of securing a pilot ladder is a factor in such occurrences.

Brief footage of a maritime pilot disembarking the Disney Magic and boarding his pilot boat as we left Nassau in January 2022.

In this one you will see a couple different times when the Pilot boards or leaves the ship and how they do it. It is always interesting to watch even though I have seen it many time. Hope you all enjoy the video and hope to see you in the comments as always.

AIMPA in association with IMU has organized a Research Paper Competition (SAMIPTA) for cadets of MTI from all disciplines on Pilot ladder risk mitigation and suggest innovative measures to Mitigate risks.

Watch as a pilot boat approaches and picks up the pilot after escorting the carnival dream from the harbor in Freeport Bahamas

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

According to the International Maritime Pilots Association (IMPA), the ship “Grand Radiant” suffered an incident where the accommodation ladder entire outboard side railing fell away due to a pin becoming loose.