There are many things in both our everyday and professional lives which we take for granted and never question the origins of, an example of this might be the IMPA recommended ‘pilot mark or pilot line’, which is sometimes seen on the side of vessels indicating where a vessels freeboard exceeds 9 metres.

During the transit time on the pilot launch between the shore and the vessel, marine pilots will spend at least a portion of that time carrying out (either consciously or subconsciously) a risk assessment of the forthcoming operation.

Over the past few years a number of pilot transfer accidents have occurred resulting from total failure of the side ropes, one school of thought is that the methods of securing a pilot ladder is a factor in such occurrences.

A pilot boat is a specialized vessel that is used to transport pilots to and from ships that are entering or leaving port. Pilot boats are typically small, fast vessels that are designed to operate in a variety of weather conditions and sea states.

As a part of the ISTLAB project the impact of external factors on pilots’ activities in a remote pilotage situation has been examined in Rauma.

Who pays when a pilot is injured on a ladder that should never have been rigged?
An opinion piece by Arie Palmers, maritime pilot, the Netherlands

The latest MS Amlin Marine circular, compiled by theTechnical Loss Prevention Consultant Peter van der Kroft, focuses on the importance of pilot safety in marine navigation.

Tom Mellor - C​hairman of the IHO Electronic Navigational Chart Working Group (ENC WG) and Head of Digital Standards at the UKHO - explains what the IHO's ECDIS and ENC Standards mean.

Explosions and major fire on Aframax crude oil tanker MT. JAG LEELA at Belawan, Indonesia. 10 May 3020

In this paper, the risk of ship pilotage in Jiangsu section of the Yangtze River is studied by fuzzy comprehensive evaluation: risk factor identification, risk evaluation and decision making suggestion.