A day in the life of a TasPorts' Marine Pilot

Without a shadow of doubt, shipping is a key enabler of our current way of life and the globalized world we live in today. The irony is that the average person is unaware of the significance or contribution of the shipping industry and how much we rely on ships working without disruption

It’s my first voyage taking over solo watch as a navigating officer – from bridge commands to monitoring traffic and weather, every second counts. Once we arrive in Ningbo, it’s straight into cargo operations, intense mooring work, and pilotage.

Gabon, Baie du Prince, 2012.
Getting that nice fat lady alongside

It turns out that supertankers and cruise ships have valets. They're called maritime pilots, and they're among the most elite ship handlers in the world. So where does one go to learn how to park the largest ships in the world? To the Maritime Pilots Institute in Covington, La. There, they use mini-versions of the behemoth boats to teach the basics. All aboard!

Google Maps and ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display and Information System) can be considered to essentially serve the same purpose. While Google Maps is used for finding our way on land, the ECDIS facilitates navigation at sea.

The Summer Edition of the Board of Pilotage Commissioners has published the latest edition of their quarterly report "The BPC Pilotage Quarterly"

Ships don't exactly have brakes. Lou Vest, a retired Houston ship channel pilot tells us about a close encounter between a ship and a barge.
https://houstonmaritime.org

The pilot boat Huron Spirit picking up a District 3 pilot from the downbound oil/chemical tanker Algoluna on the St. Clair River in Port Huron/Sarnia on March 9, 2024 as captured on the StreamTime Live Camera.
https://www.youtube.com/live/eLUGwEv9IBk?si=O_QyOD3sAMvp_SQd

The Norwegian Coastal Administration has signed an agreement with Aboa Mare to provide a new
course for pilots and VTS operators. By practising together in a simulator, maritime safety along the
Norwegian coast will be reinforced.