"Swiss Cheese" by Ahmed Sati

Opinion article by Ahmed Sati, Marine Pilot, Author of “Marine Pilotage - The Arabic book” and board member of ISPO.

Can the #ship just #hit #breaks to #stop?

Is #ships still use #flags for #communication ?

It has been exactly one year ago that a pilot from Sandy Hook (New York), Dennis Sherwood, died in the line of duty while attempting to board the container vessel Maersk Kensington.
What has happened since then? Has safety been improved for the pilots?

The term pilot is defined as, “a person who is qualified and usually licensed to conduct a ship into and out of a port or in specified waters.” The Merchant Shipping Act 1894 states that, “a pilot is any person not belonging to a ship who has the conduct thereof.”

By the end of this year, our sea pilots are set to have undertaken a record number of pilotage acts. The total number is set to exceed 10,700, with almost 99% of the acts completed without delay.

A loaded bulk carrier is a bit tricky to handle, do to all that mass: de require a lot of power in order to be stopped. This is why this maneuver are normally slower. Same applies to tankers.

Son los encargados de asegurar el dinamismo en el puerto, de que las embarcaciones fluyan sin generar ningún problema. Velan por la estabilidad tanto de los barcos como de la ciudad. 'En la piel' sube al barco para ponerse en la piel de los prácticos del puerto.

Version from 1st May 2021: Ships that require the services of a pilot need to ensure that the Pilot Transfer Arrangements (PTA) they provide are in compliance with the requirements prescribed under SOLAS V/23 and IMO Resolution A.1045(27) [as amended by IMO Resolution A.1108(29)].

1st 24,000 TEU vessel, 1st Containers loaded, 1st Port call Qingdao