History: Lightship (1950)

Many people wonder how ships made it across entire oceans without getting lost in the seventeenth century. Aaron introduces seventeenth century navigation to us today by beginning with piloting.

Look at Life - City of Sailors - Portsmouth - 1965
Portsmouth is no longer the sea-faring city it once was; this film from the Documentary Series "Look At Life" Volume 5 - Cultural Heritage in 1965 looks at its changing face.

Let us start a journey back in time. Back to the black and white films of history. The times have changed, but it is good to know what kind of things have changed and where are the roots of pilotage.

Bulk Carrier "Jasmine A" leaving Gladstone lock stern-first with 3 tugs

The followers of our large community of Marine-Pilots.com can be found not only on LinkedIn or Twitter, but also on Facebook.

The Bahamas has imposed a compulsory maritime pilot rule for all vessels, including cruise ships, at its ports since September 2025.

Bulker Energy cosmos ( 229/32 m ) swinging and berthing in Rouen ( Normandy - France ) to Soufflet Silo

Meet Neil Crysler, a Licenced ship Pilot with the BC Coast Pilots, a company consisting of approximately 105 licensed marine pilots who work with the Pacific Pilotage Authority to keep the British Columbia Coast line safe and healthy. Neil takes pride in his fast paced life as a pilot. His work allows him to be on the water, getting large international tankers safely down our coast line. His work keeps him on his feet, sometimes sending him up the coast at a moment’s notice. Neil has found...

Shifting a vessel from one harbor to other. Easy and safe maneuver. Turn area D=150m. Mooring area 110m.

It will replace the "Coatham" pilot vessel which will now find a new home at the Port of Tyne after racking up 800,000 miles servicing the River Tees over a 20-year period.