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

How do marine pilots work? Example: Bringing a bulkcarrier alongside to „Hansaport“ in Hamburg. Here the tugboats „Prompt“, „Resolute“ and „Bulldog“ are involved. The master has to rely on the pilot. One reason is, that he can‘t know how to deal with these tugs. A maneuver like this is only safe, when the pilot has a lot of practical experience. A master who is doing a maneuver like this only about once or twice a month and each time with tugs he doesn’t know in areas he hasn’t been to...

Für Lotsen ist es der gefährlichste Moment in ihrem Berufsalltag: bei orkanartigen Böen von einem Frachtschiff eine Strickleiter herunterklettern und auf ein kleines Lotsenboot übersetzen. Mitte Januar 2023 ist ein Lotse bei Borkum ins Meer gefallen und kam mit Unterkühlungen ins Krankenhaus. Erst wenige Tage zuvor verstarb ein englischer Kollege bei diesem Manöver. Hafenlotse Gerhard Janßen und Seelotse Dominik Thieben machen sich für ihren Einsatz bereit. Bei Windstärke acht geht es mit...

Documentary from 2019 by "The Sea Lad"

There are some problems that never seem to go away and one is the perennial difficulties in providing a safe way of getting pilots on and off a ship.

A counterfeit ladder is a pilot ladder that purports to be a genuine approved ladder, from a manufacturer that has been certified by an approved body in the manufacture of pilot ladders to a certified standards.

Over the past few years a number of pilot transfer accidents have occurred resulting from total failure of the side ropes, one school of thought is that the methods of securing a pilot ladder is a factor in such occurrences.

Boat builder Metal Shark recently delivered a welded-aluminum 45 Defiant crew boat to Anchorage Launch Services, an Oregon-based operator providing launch, line, pilotage, and cargo services to vessels on the Columbia and Willamette Rivers.

Video by Capt Amit Kumar Singh, Marine Pilot / Port Captain

iTalk conducted by IME(I) Mumbai Branch. The speaker was Ms Reshma Nilofer, Sector Pilotage Services