DanPilot pilot boat "Echo"

Pilot Boat working close to shore, but not the best of weather.

Associated British Ports (ABP) the UK’s largest and best-connected port operator, has commissioned a fleet of nine new state-of-the art pilot boats from Goodchild Marine Services, representing an investment of around £9 million to further enhance port operations across its network.

South Australian port operator Flinders Ports (FP) has entered into an agreement to purchase three new pilot vessels over the next three years from Melbourne-based boatbuilder Hart Marine.

The Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) once again demonstrates its commitment to seafarer safety by being the first registry to instigate a Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) for pilot transfer arrangements. It will continue to run until the end of 2021.

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 Rhys Davies, current Apprentice. Published already in Feb. 2020 by ABP.

SWATH build by Abeking & Rasmussen (Germany)

According to "Buchan Observer": Peterhead Port Authority has introduced remote pilotage for selected vessels entering the harbour as part of a package of measures designed to reduce the risk of staff and users contracting the Covid-19 virus.