Safe boarding of vessels

Personal Locator Beacons (PLB) and other individual MOB devices have been available for some years now and have evolved to incorporate a variety of different alerting methods and combinations. However, usage of these additional enhancements within UK Pilotage is still in its infancy.

SeaSafe - Marine pilot falling off a ships ladder with his integrated life jacket coat

"Rope Ladders" by PTR Holland

⚓ **Deep Sea Pilot Disembarking from Oil Tanker | Brixham, UK | November 2026** Experience a real-life Deep Sea Pilot disembarkation from an oil tanker off the coast of Brixham, Devon, United Kingdom, in November 2026. This video captures the final stage of a Deep Sea Pilot's voyage, including the pilot transfer from a large oil tanker to a pilot boat. Deep Sea Pilots play an essential role in maritime navigation, guiding commercial vessels through busy shipping routes, including the...

The latest edition of the ISPO Code and Control Manual has just been published: From January 1st 2022, the new ISPO Code and ISPO Control Manual will come into effect.

A Florida Harbor Pilot encountering the pilot pilot ladder of a submarine. First harbor pilots must make their way offshore through rough seas to a vessel desiring their expertise to safely enter port. Next harbor pilots must negotiate the dangerous boarding accommodations to embark on vessels of every type. Next, the real work begins by using years of experience and centuries of knowledge passed down through the rigorous training process, to safely guide vessels in and out of Florida's...

We bid farewell to our Otaru marine pilot just outside Otaru Harbor, Japan. The crew of the pilot tug were particularly fastidious about not marking up the side of the Viking Orion during the operations, spraying the interface with water, even though that might have made the transfer more hazardous for the pilot. From the Viking Orion, October 2024

“Find your passion, set goals and commit to them.” Sound advice from Port of Cape Town’s Ellen Moletsane, who recently earned her Open Licence as a marine pilot.

Between 2005 and 2018, the TSB received reports of 26 girding situations resulting in 21 capsizings. Girding occurs when a vessel is pulled broadside by a towline force and is unable to manoeuver out of this position. The TSB created this video to illustrate the factors leading to girding and the recovery methods.
The TSB would like to thank Ledcor Resources and Transportation Inc. for use of simulator training images in the girding video. We would also like to acknowledge the U.S....