Allen Garfinkle — The Making of a Bay Pilot | 8/7/2019

The article was written by Allen Garfinkle, Executive Director – Board of Pilot Commissioners for the Bays of San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun

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.

Ich bin zu Besuch beim Lotsbetriebsverein in Bremerhaven und unterhalte mich mit dem Ältermann Jan-Helge Jannsen über das Lotswesen in Deutschland. Wir fahren außerdem mit dem Lotsenboot raus und begleiten Lotsen und die Crew auf den Versetzern bei einem Einsatz.

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

Now that I am a pilot, I know that I will be rated at the debriefing meeting regarding my work, as soon as I disembark. The bridge team and the captain will adjust their safety envelope for the next manoeuvre, according to my performance.

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.

The National Transportation Safety Board issued Marine Accident Brief 20/37 Tuesday for its investigation of the Sept. 23, 2019, accident involving the tugboat G.M. McAllister and the NGL Energy Partners wharf on the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River, near Chesapeake, Virginia.

Join us for a full exterior walkaround of the Norwegian pilot boat LOS 107 while she’s underway — bow to stern, wheelhouse to fenders. Real-time footage of a working pilot/launch at sea.

To minimize the risk of a vessel allision with a terminal gantry crane, the American Harbor and Docking Pilots Association recommends that all terminal operators with gantry cranes adopt the following Best Practices.

"Last legislative session, river pilots committed to making African Americans and other minorities aware of the growing number of career opportunities in Louisiana's maritime industry," said river pilot Captain Lee Jackson in a statement.