Ship Pilot boarding

The Viking Mars is a brand new cruise ship, built this year (2022). While it is a relatively small ship when it comes to cruise liners, it's still an imposing vessel. It's big enough to enable them to fit a planetarium, fitness center, hair salon, a spa, and the usual shops, restaurants and cabins. We have filmed quite a few vessels coming in and out of Holyhead port now, and the Viking Cruise Line ships are, without doubt, some of the most classy and good looking vessels about. Lovely...

Pilot boat Explorer approaches 2GO Maligaya as the harbor pilot then boards the vessel during a Monday morning arrival to Cebu from Manila
See my photos at https://www.flickr.com/photos/dareleven/

U.S. Coastgard has published an update of their Recommendation for Pilot Transfer Arrangements in latest Marine Safety Information Bulletins (MSIB).

"Recent deaths of maritime pilots while embarking commercial vessels highlight the risks of operating in an
unforgiving maritime environment. To ensure the safety of all personnel boarding a vessel at sea, the Coast
Guard reminds vessel owners and operators of the requirements contained in the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Chapter V, Regulation 23 and strongly recommends that owners and operators follow the recommendations within IMO Resolution A.1045(27) – Pilot Transfer Arrangements. "

It remains a sad fact that accidents and near misses continue to occur during pilot transfers with frightening regularity. Most of these fortunately do not result in injury, and a surprisingly high number of them are not even recognised for what they are.

Surveys into pilot ladder safety consistently reveal that unacceptably high numbers of pilot transfer arrangements are not compliant with the regulations.

Rodman 41 pilot boat for the Cadiz Pilots' Corporation

At Humber Maritime College we have state-of-the-art marine simulators to teach our Merchant Navy cadets in an environment close to reality, preparing them for a career at sea.

Long and irregular shifts, unforeseeable operations and high responsibility are still prominent in the job of a pilot and pose high psycho-physical demands.

View from Liverpool cruise terminal, of a port of Liverpool pilot boat leaving jetty, alongside the Viking Jupiter of Bergen Norway, with boats on the Mersey. 🇳🇴 🇬🇧

On Mar 23, 2021, at around 0500 UTC, Ultra Large Container Vessel EVER GIVEN ran aground in the Suez Canal north of Suez. The incident caused a blockage of the Suez Canal, extensive vessel traffic jams, and disruptions in the maritime supply chain. Watch a 3D video simulation of the last 90 minutes of her journey before the accident happened. The video is based on AIS vessel position data received by FleetMon.
FleetMon is one of the world’s leading AIS vessel tracking providers offering...