Pilot Boarding at Sea near San Francisco

Boarding a vessel at sea can be dangerous. By following simple rules, it can be done safely. This safety video shows you how to leave the launch boat and climb the ladder when boarding vessels at sea safely as well as boarding preparations, safety precautions and boarding under special conditions. The 3 types of boarding arrangements for pilot are also explained. Watch with sound on. Transfers are normally safe when everyone takes all the precautions. If you think it is unsafe, remember to...

Dangerours work as pilot tries to transfer from pilot boat to Cagliarie to Civitavecchia, Italy in May 2023 in moderately rought seas.

Awesome scenery

IMPA has published examples of best practice together with a letter from Capt. Simon Pelletier, President of IMPA.

It has been shown that a majority (51%) of pilot ladders is secured by means of D-shackles, when secured at intermediate length. Previous research (Evans, 2020) has proven that this method has only about 50% of the strength of the pilot ladder when secured at full length (“double ended ladder”), or by means of the “endless-sling” method.

This Standard for Health Assessment of Marine Pilots (NSW) represents a significant step in
the improvement of shipping safety in NSW. Introduced in October 2009, this Standard is the result of extensive

The latest edition of The New Zealand Pilot has been published (link in article).