Pilots board cruise ships in choppy waters. Fast pilot boats. Auckland & Malta

Spotted some Pilot Boats in the Port of Auckland, New Zealand and Melbourne & Fremantle Australia (Port codes: Auckland:NZ AKL ; Melbourne:AU MEL ; Fremantle:AU FRE).

The Auckland District Court has fined the Ports of Auckland NZD424,000 (USD300,500) for exempting its pilot boats from speed limits in Waitemata Harbour after a swimmer was struck and killed (April 2017).

Malta Maritime Pilots

China has already submitted proposals to the IMO regarding changes to SOLAS, Chapter 23, and IMO A.1045(27) in early 2021.

An article by Arie Palmers highlights his collaboration with Multraship to develop a solution aimed at enhancing the safety of pilot boarding on harbor tugs, ultimately reducing delays.

SOLAS/IMO/IMPA Regulations require additional safety measurements for pilot's boarding and disembarkation since recently. These magnetic holders of two types, one is manually set and the other is a remotely controlled one, fixes both pilot ladder and accommodation ladder (gangway) strongly onto the hull of the ship. Thus, the pilot can climb more safely. We are negotiating with ISO, IMO, IMPA etc in order to standardize these items for pilot safety.

A bridge team’s lack of effective monitoring of their position while at anchor led to a cargo ship hitting an anchored bulk carrier and striking a chemical dock on the Lower Mississippi River near New Orleans, according to a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) marine accident brief.

Drone visuals of a bridge passage of a remotely controlled barge on the Plassendale Canal (Ostend). The vessel is controlled by a captain in the Seafar Control Center in Antwerp (100km away). All operations are approved by the Flemish Waterway Authorities. Want to know more? www.seafar.eu info@seafar.eu