Those Who Serve: Columbia River bar pilots risk their lives to guide cargo ships

Pilots are expert ship handlers who possess detailed knowledge of local waterways. They are transported by high speed "Pilot Boat" or helicopter from shore to an inbound ship and from an outbound ship back ashore. Most ports have compulsory pilotage.

The individual pilot operates as part of a pilotage organisation. And, as with so many things, the whole is (much) more than the sum of the parts ...

Video by Tasmanian Ports Corporation
TasPorts' Marine Pilot Nick Hess recently produced a video from footage our crews have captured around Tasmania.
The video provides an amazing insight into the work TasPorts’ Marine Pilots undertake every day around the state - an essential part of the business that not many people get the opportunity to see.

A wonderful poem by Gaylen K. Bunker found on YouTube. As read by the author from bis book "Poems".

My background Why does a ship need a marine pilot How did we get here b.w.o training and qualification? Background history of Reef Pilots Info on different pilot stations within the Great Barrier Reef Torres Straits with its complex tides Our commute to work - boat & helicopter videos Different types of ships, cargoes and nationalities trading within the Great Barrier Reef Work life onboard.... the good, the bad and the ugly Some trivia and fun facts about mariners’ life at sea

The Master and pilot are dependant on each other for a safe and successful beginning or end of a voyage. They are both operating in a foreign environment.

Meanwhile, female pilots are more and more common.

The Port of Milford Haven’s new pilot vessel has reached a key project milestone with a successful launch in the Netherlands, where the craft is currently under construction.

The technology group Wärtsilä has delivered a navigation simulator and specific mathematical models to the Satakunta University of Applied Sciences (SAMK) in the city of Rauma, Finland. These will be used as an essential enabler in the Intelligent Shipping Technology Test Laboratory (ISTLAB) project, which aims at creating a technically precise testing environment for remotely controlled, autonomous vessels. The contract with Wärtsilä was signed in the 4th quarter of 2019.