Video Overhead View of Ship Getting Underway in Guayania Puerto Rico
published on 13 September 2022
Opinion "Ship's Pilot" - A poem by Gaylen K. Bunker
by Frank Diegel - published on 13 February 2020
Video "Ship's Pilot" - A poem by Gaylen K. Bunker
published on 13 February 2020
Article A contempt for pilot safety and total disregard for the contents of the SOLAS Convention.
by Captain Kevin Vallance MNI - published on 4 October 2019
Video How to Launch a Pilot Boat–Behind the Scenes at Point Hope Shipyard
published on 20 June 2025
Welcome to Point Hope Shipyard in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. In this video, I follow the float off of the Pacific Navigator, a hardworking pilot boat that serves the Port of Victoria and Ogden Point. We watch as the vessel is pulled along the marine railway, rotated on the turntable, and positioned onto the cradle. Once secured, the cradle lowers to float-off depth, and the Pacific Navigator fires up her engines for a short harbour spin before returning to duty. Some segments,...
Article #dangerousladders - Using social media to improve pilot transfer safety.
by Kevin Vallance deep sea pilot and author - published on 12 December 2019
It remains a sad fact that accidents and near misses continue to occur during pilot transfers with frightening regularity. Most of these fortunately do not result in injury, and a surprisingly high number of them are not even recognised for what they are.
Surveys into pilot ladder safety consistently reveal that unacceptably high numbers of pilot transfer arrangements are not compliant with the regulations.
Opinion Pilots are not Advisors to Masters
by Karolina Cirjak, Consultant Master Mariner at KC Maritime Consultancy Ltd. - published on 30 November 2024
This article was first published back in February 2022: According to the International Group of P & I Clubs’ “Report on P&I claims involving vessels under pilotage 1999-2019”, over the last twenty years, there were 1,046 incidents in which pilot error either caused or contributed to those events.