There are some problems that never seem to go away and one is the perennial difficulties in providing a safe way of getting pilots on and off a ship.

Bulk Carrier sailing from Seaforth Dock through Gladstone Lock into The River Mersey

The individual pilot operates as part of a pilotage organisation. And, as with so many things, the whole is (much) more than the sum of the parts ...

It’s my first voyage taking over solo watch as a navigating officer – from bridge commands to monitoring traffic and weather, every second counts. Once we arrive in Ningbo, it’s straight into cargo operations, intense mooring work, and pilotage.

Time for shift change. Captain Henry transferring from Pilot boat Texas City to Pilot boat Texas. Turn the sound up towards the end and hear those twin V12 Cummins sing.

Shortly after 5 a.m. local time the vessel “Else” had a collision in the Kiel-Holtenau lock to the Kiel Canal.
The "Else" subject to pilotage passed the pilot's boarding position without taking a sea pilot on board and collided from the outside into the closed gate of the new north lock. The bow bored into the metal construction and the ship was stuck for about six hours.
For more information about this accident see related content below (articles).

Technology group Wärtsilä will supply its latest simulator technology for a new maritime training centre in Finland.

The Pilot Boats captured in and around the waters of Victoria Canada c 2022 LSAC

Pilot onboard disembarking vessel ship #shorts