Wallaby Boats model in the wave tank in slow motion

Pilot boat picking up two pilot crewmen from odyssey of the seas cruise ship port of civitavecchia Italy 🇮🇹

The crew from Rescue RS 172 in Norway at sea trial with Humphree interceptors in "Active" mode. Storm outside Hvaler, Norway.
”Our job is to be there for people at sea in any condition. No system can eliminate motions from a roaring North Sea, what Humphree does is to give us the best possible control of our workboats, a system that makes a real difference to get the job done.”
Knut Hveding, Manager New Builds
Norwegian Search and Rescue team

M/V PILOT 68 (CHEOY LEE shipyards 17m Self-righting Pilot Boat)

Like many seafarers I have long been a keen follower of The Nautical Institute’s MARS programme, and along with many other members I listened to the recent webinar on that topic. One theme which was repeated more than once was that it is better to learn from someone else’s misfortune rather than have it happen to you. Having personally been involved in two near misses resulting from unsafe pilot transfer arrangements in a relatively short space of time, I asked how experiences and knowledge specifically about pilot ladder safety could best be promulgated to avoid repeating common accidents or near misses.

n preparation for future heavy load transports with the heavy load pontoon "BHV INNOVATION", BVT Chartering und Logistics GmbH were guests in the NAUTITEC ship simulator together with the Bremerhaven

A pilot ladder is a highly specialized form of rope ladder, typically used on board cargo vessels for the purposes of embarking and disembarking pilots.

What a great pleasure to meet these guys at the harbour - they could not have been more helpful and forthright about their work. At first glance, the glide of these orange powerboats up and down Belfast Lough seems an almost effortless task, but close up this is a very skilled trade and constant management of risk 24/7 in high and low seas, jumping from ship to boat to land taking safe control of the great volume of steel vessel coming in and out of this busy port. Though a hub of...