Episode #1 - THE PROJECT

The Australian company Hart Marine specialises in building pilot and patrol boats of the highest quality.This is not surprising, as the owner's father, Mal Hart, was a harbour master and therefore very familiar with the requirements of a pilot boat.

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.

Finnpilot released its annual report for 2021. The impact on the amount of Finland’s international imports and exports significantly affected vessel traffic and the number of pilotage assignments. The number of pilotage assignments in coastal waters decreased by 1.9% from the previous year. In the Saimaa region, the number increased by 5.3% from the previous year.

The transfer of pilots to and from seagoing vessels should not rely solely on mutual trust and good intentions.

According to a post of Paulo Ekkebus on LinkedIn (10th July 2020): "The Pacific Pilotage Authority Canada is looking for a CFO. Great opportunity for an individual to join an amazing company."

The pilot for the port of Cairns jumping off the pilot boat and getting onto the cruise ship. 
Carnival Luminosa December 2024 

After crossing the Atlantic Ocean and entered in the Mediterranean sea it is time to call the pilots at Chioggia/Venice, Italy.

Issues like the Covid 19 crisis and the moves towards increased autonomy appear to be driving a renewed interest in Shore Based Pilotage (SBP), nowadays often called Remote Pilotage.

French shipbuilder OCEA today launched the first of twenty "OCEA FPB 98 MKI" patrol boats for the State Border Guard service of Ukraine at its shipyard in Les Sables d'Olonne. ===================== In November 2019, an intergovernmental agreement between France and Ukraine has been signed to support the reinforcement of the maritime safety and security in Ukraine. OCEA won the international consultation launched by the Ukrainian Ministry of Interior. The acquisition contract is for 20...

Here's the full video of recent sea trials with our two pilot boats including storm Ciara, three boats together and some boarding runs. Its quite an interesting little video with some great footage.