Belfast Harbour adds new Pilot Boat to Marine Fleet

This is the Ben Madigan pilot boat, one of the hard working fleet of Belfast Harbout pilot boats. ( I'm not sure but I believe this might be a Redbay Stormforce, built by Redbay boat builders at Cushendll. )
These fast, sturdy, boats have to ferry Belfast pilots out to large vessels coming in to Belfast harbour. Piloted vessels range from large tankers, bulk carriers, container ships, ferries and cruise liners, right down to barges and fishing boats. Not only this, Belfast Harbour pilots...

What a great pleasure to meet these guys at the harbour - they could not have been more helpful and forthright about their work. At first glance, the glide of these orange powerboats up and down Belfast Lough seems an almost effortless task, but close up this is a very skilled trade and constant management of risk 24/7 in high and low seas, jumping from ship to boat to land taking safe control of the great volume of steel vessel coming in and out of this busy port. Though a hub of...

After 30+ years of service, the vessel needed to be re-powered. A $1.7 million re-powering project was initiated and completed during 2004.

Vessel's details: IMO: 9496915 Name: POLARIS Vessel Type - Generic: Pilot Vessel Vessel Type - Detailed: Special Vessel Status: Active MMSI: 245142000 Call Sign: PBZN Flag: Netherlands [NL] Gross Tonnage: 2501 Summer DWT: 890 t Length Overall x Breadth Extreme: 81.2 x 13.3 m Year Built: 2012 Home Port: ROTTERDAM Geo location: 51.980840, 4.112364

A beautiful day, climbing up the (not-so-well-rigged) pilot ladder and then the stairs of the accommodation towards the bridge.

Tideman Boats, indestructible HDPE workboats

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

Furetank turns a former office building into a maritime educational centre on Donsö outside Gothenburg: a state-of-the-art ship simulator complex for training, assessment and certification.