Ship sailing from Liverpool Docks

Two decades ago, candidates were selected for TNPA's accelerated training programme in Rotterdam, which aimed to train a new generation of ship pilots, managers and other maritime professionals.

Today I will discuss a very simple and useful practical trick often used by pilots.

When we have to berth a vessel with small clearances forward and aft (say 20 to 25 mtr fwd and aft) it is very essential that you are able to estimate your position. Now most of the time you have a berthing supervisor on jetty who will help you with position.

I am not a computer savvy. My knowledge in programming and robotics and those sort of things is nil. I get lost in the sea of social media and easily entangle myself in the web. All I have done for the last 25 years or so is to pilot ships through the Panama Canal. However, during the last couple of years I have done my best to catch up with technology, since it has enhanced our possibilities and improved safety in our field. But still, I have to admit that I am way behind the new guys in this important issue.

Follow me as I travel around the world working on a container ship!
The mega container ship is alongside Kaohsiung for one day, I had 8 hours off between my watch, so i took the opportunity to explore Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Brought along my drone to take some shots at the beautiful architecture that Taiwan has to offer.

When I was a deck officer back in the early nineties I worked on a ship that used to load grain at different ports along the Mississippi river. The name of the ship was Golden Hope, a 600 feet long dry bulk carrier with a 95 feet in beam. An average size vessel for those days' standards.

Gibraltar Pilots have chosen a new Seaward Nelson 35 as their next Pilot vessel.

Knowing the practical, seaworthy reliability of the Nelson 35 design, it was only natural that Gibraltar Pilots selected the UK builder, Seaward, for their new vessel.

Filmed using a DJI Mini 2 If you are interested in purchasing a Mini here is a link to my DJI affiliate program. https://click.dji.com/AFpMBjgnYfRjCViNU2HZ_g?pm=link All video footage is owned by Northcoast Drone and it can be licensed as stock footage. We are certified in advanced drone operations and use a visual spotter LICENSING & BUSINESS INQUIRIES alexmcc@gmail.com Copyright © Northcoast Drone. All Rights Reserved.

If you have been looking for a Pilot Boat to use in your simulations, take a look here.

Built by Luke Powell and his working Sail Yard in Truro, Cornwall, launched in February 2020. The lines were taken from the Vincent, a Falmouth Pilot cutter built in 1852 for the Vincent family of St Mawes. She worked for 70 years as a pilot boat, finally retiring in 1922 and ending her days as a houseboat on the Percuil River very close to the yard where she had been built. When the idea to build a new pilot cutter of considerable size was born, the lines of Vincent were seen as the...

To better bundle all articles and messages about Marine / Maritime Pilots I would like to suggest the Hashtag #MARINEPILOTS. We can use it well here on LinkedIn, but also for other social media like Twitter.