Piloting a 190 meter Bulker with 2 tugs

A pilot boat is a type of boat used to transport maritime pilots between land and the inbound or outbound ships that they are piloting.

Improved traffic flow converts waiting times into increased safety and bunker savings for large ships in the narrow Swedish and Finnish archipelagos.
Found on YouTube. Created by "Sjöfartsverket".
In the STM EfficientFlow project, the Baltic ports of Rauma and Gävle implement efficient port calls using real-time information. Improved traffic flow converts waiting times into increased safety and bunker savings for large ships in the narrow Swedish and Finnish archipelagos.

Maritime pilots trace the roots of their profession back to the ancient Greeks and Romans when incoming ship captains employed experienced local fisherman to guide their merchant vessels safely into port. It’s a legacy of skill, strength, and sharp wits, and our Houston Pilots (“Pilots”) have been meeting vessels at Galveston’s bar to carry on these proud traditions for just shy of 100 years.

Many thanks to Capt. Pilot Evan Simkus for the insight into the working day!

Based on MAIB Safety Digest 1/2025, Case 12, published April 2025 by the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB).

"Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."

Rotorcraft Pro gives an inside look at Brim Aviation's Columbia River Bar Pilots helicopter ops. CRBP uses an AW109SP to hoist ship captains onto ships crossing the dangerous river bar in Astoria, OR. This is part of a written/photo feature in the September 2015 issue of Rotorcraft Pro Magazine.

Future pilotage services in Greenland will become integrated directly into DanPilot in order to adapt to the current, challenging market conditions due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Today a look at a special vessel that is commonly seen on the Astoria waterfront: the pilot boat that takes pilots to and from passing ships.

Recently, Herman Broers launched the website PilotladderSafety.com.
This website’s goal is to increase pilot ladder safety by showing good practice examples regarding the rigging and use of pilot ladder arrangements . Do it right the first time!