Pilot Boat "Pioneer" at Vlissingen Netherlands (2021)

1st 24,000 TEU vessel, 1st Containers loaded, 1st Port call Qingdao

Pilot going onboard, using pilot ladder port side, 1,5 meters above the water.

In this article I would like to share my thoughts on this pilot ladder poster. Is it as good as we think or is there room for improvement? By taking you through this poster step by step I hope to explain what needs to be changed to make it similar to IMO an SOLAS regulations.

As a rule, every pilot has the right to refuse an unsafe ladder. Safety first! A brave pilot is not the one who uses an unsafe ladder, but the one who, in case of doubt, asks for a different ladder or a different setting.
Unfortunately, too many pilots climb a dubious ladder when in doubt.

The pilot boat Lesath brings the harbor pilot to the Allegro. It was windy and the sea was rough, the conditions where not extremely, but the boarding is not whitout risk.
This video is created 2 days after storm Ciara in the Port of Rotterdam. This was also the first day that the containerterminals where open after the storm.
Shipspotting Rotterdam,
Enjoy

We have currently researched 20 vacancies for Marine Pilots around the world. Take a look at our job section, where 3 new offers have been added today.

Although it cannot be said that ship piloting is the world’s oldest profession, most maritime experts do agree that pilotage does date back to antiquity.

Pilot Boat 68 heads out in choppy seas in the Dardanelles