Love & Best Dishes: Learn All About Michael Groover’s Job as a Harbor Pilot

KITTIWAKE ( MMSI 232008570) is a Pilot and currently sailing under the flag of United Kingdom (UK) Here she is speeding down the River this morning.

Vessel name: Polaris ; Year built: 2012 ; Flag: Netherlands ; Homeport: Rotterdam Length: 81.2m X 13.3m ; GRT: 2501 ; Callsign: PBZN ; MMSI:245142000 ; IMO: 9496915 Type: Special Vessel / Pilot Ship A "Pilot Ship / Pilot Vessel" is a "special type" of ship in which it accommodates a certain and limited Marine Pilots (Sea, River, Harbor Pilots), it also carries small boats/crafts that are used to tender services to and from the Pilot ship. In a Pilot Vessel, the Pilots can take their time...

Hardest part of getting on board of a ship is climbing up on a maximum height of pilot ladder as 9m. Vessel on that video is a 27kdwt bulk carrier in ballast condition bound for İstanbul strait northbound passage.

A handy and simple tool to determine in a minimum time what is really needed as tug assistance, is the Bollard Pull Calculator which calculates in an approximate way the total required tug power for ships in various conditions of wind and current. This tool can be loaded as an app on the smart phone.

USA-based shipbuilder Metal Shark and Sea Machines, a Boston-based leading developer of autonomous marine technology, have partnered on the introduction of a new 29-foot autonomous vessel now being offered through Metal Shark’s “Sharktech” autonomous division. Full story here: http://bit.ly/seamachines

Alberta's government is proposing to partner with Indigenous communities to build a new West Coast oil export project. In B.C. waters, oil tanker spill prevention depends on locally operated escort tugboats and expert local marine pilots, who safely guide tankers in and out of port. On the southern tip of Vancouver Island, escort tugboats are operated in partnership with the Scia’new First Nation in the community’s territorial waters.

Associated British Ports (ABP) will upgrade its recently acquired pilot launches to enhance safety, effectiveness, and sustainability, incorporating feedback from its pilots and marine teams. The program will expand the fleet of larger vessels from three to five, replace older models, and improve seakeeping, crew safety, comfort, handling, fuel efficiency, and emissions reduction.

As part of our Port Perspectives series we have captured the perspective of what is like to work in Dublin Port from some key members of our team. This video features Robert Cox, a Marine Operative at Dublin Port Company. Robbie as he is better known provides an insight into his varied role at the Port from operating Pilot Boat Camac, delivering Pilots safely to vessels, to placing fenders at the quay wall no two days are ever the same! Robbie also captures some amazing images of Dublin...

Poseidon Sea Pilots, which will start operating in the Port of Brisbane in January, will be based at Mooloolaba, Redcliffe and Brisbane.