KITTIWAKE ( MMSI 232008570) is a Pilot and currently sailing under the flag of United Kingdom (UK) Here she is speeding down the River this morning.

Vessel name: Polaris ; Year built: 2012 ; Flag: Netherlands ; Homeport: Rotterdam Length: 81.2m X 13.3m ; GRT: 2501 ; Callsign: PBZN ; MMSI:245142000 ; IMO: 9496915 Type: Special Vessel / Pilot Ship A "Pilot Ship / Pilot Vessel" is a "special type" of ship in which it accommodates a certain and limited Marine Pilots (Sea, River, Harbor Pilots), it also carries small boats/crafts that are used to tender services to and from the Pilot ship. In a Pilot Vessel, the Pilots can take their time...

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

What a beautiful manoeuvre! Arrival at Hamburg “Eurogate berth 6”, portside!
#maritime-pilots, #hamburg-pilot, #Lotsen, #hamburg, #hamburger-hafen, #MSC, #MSC_Geneva, #Hafen

It does not happen very often that we have a Eurochannel bound ship to sea. In this case the MARIA P LEMOS, 333 m with a draft of 20,7 m left Rotterdam underway to the Far East .

Among the few marine professions that purse a man's technical skills and value very high, maritime piloting perhaps is in a class of its own. In this career, the pilot is entrusted to maneuver vessels through some of the most challenging and congested waterways while ensuring seamless integration between shipboard operations and port infrastructure.

Eray Demirkol, one of the pilots of the Dardanelles Strait General Directorate of Coastal Safety, fell from the pilot ladder into the sea while he was boarding the 176-meter bulk carrier 28653 DWT named "Lord Nelson".