Those Who Serve: Columbia River bar pilots risk their lives to guide cargo ships

A maritime pilot, marine pilot, harbor pilot, bar pilot, or simply pilot, is a sailor who maneuvers ships through dangerous or congested waters, such as harbors or river mouths. They are navigational experts possessing knowledge of the particular waterway such as its depth, currents, and hazards.

We bid farewell to our Otaru marine pilot just outside Otaru Harbor, Japan. The crew of the pilot tug were particularly fastidious about not marking up the side of the Viking Orion during the operations, spraying the interface with water, even though that might have made the transfer more hazardous for the pilot. From the Viking Orion, October 2024

Delaware River Pilot Boat Transfers Pilot to Moving Ship - Delaware River - Philadelphia - August 23, 2023

A valuable campaign managed by Chris Young, Kevin Vallance and others, which we found on Facebook .

Timelapse: watch our marine pilot assist the vessel Ocean Prometheus as it departs Newcastle Harbour, NSW ••• Port Authority of New South Wales manages the navigation, security and operational safety needs of commercial shipping in Sydney Harbour, Port Botany, Newcastle Harbour, Port Kembla, Eden and Yamba. With over 6,000 visits from trade and cruise vessels each year, the ports of New South Wales contribute billions of dollars to our economy; create thousands of jobs and support...

Pilot transfer operations always involve risk, even when conditions are favorable. Learn the essential safety procedures involved in this operation.
Visit https://www.maritimetraining.com/Course/Pilot-Ladders-Safe-Rigging-Procedures to purchase the full-length version.

Here’s a nice little video of pilotage at the Port of Cork as Safehaven’s Interceptor Pilot 48 ‘Solas’ undertakes pilot transfer with the Grimaldi line ferry ‘Grande Spagna’ in a heavy swell. We captured some fabulous drone footage.

March 8th 20201. Bulk carrier Camila outbound from Lough Foyle after carrying grain to Foyle Port at Lisahally. For this video I focused on the Foyle Leader and Foyle Pilots as they chased the ship to the outer portion of the lough where it enters the open sea.

What does it mean to be a harbor pilot? More info here: http://gothamist.com/2016/05/26/video_ny_harbor_pilot.php Starring Robert J. Blake, Jr. Video by Jessica Leibowitz Produced by Jessica Leibowitz and Shayla Love MORE GOTHAMIST FILMS Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/Gothamist Dailymotion: http://www.dailymotion.com/Gothamist GOTHAMIST ACROSS THE WEB Gothamist.com: http://gothamist.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Gothamist/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/gothamist Instagram: https:/...