American Maritime Pilot: The Robert Smalls Story

Join me as we transit through the Panama Canal from the North-East side to the South-West. An interesting vlog on how an XDF LNG carrier transits through the newly expanded Panama Canal.Find out its history and which vessel and Captain transited the Canal on its opening day on the 15th of August 1914.The interaction with the Pilot Captain Arnulfo Cepetno who assist me on transit the Cocoli locks.

Many people wonder how ships made it across entire oceans without getting lost in the seventeenth century. Aaron introduces seventeenth century navigation to us today by beginning with piloting.

Very Special Video: Tug Boat Captain Eric gives us a bridge tour of his boat while navigating the river at night. "Every Man Has a Story"

Finnish Pilots at work.

SOLAS/IMO/IMPA Regulations require additional safety measurements for pilot's boarding and disembarkation since recently. These magnetic holders of two types, one is manually set and the other is a remotely controlled one, fixes both pilot ladder and accommodation ladder (gangway) strongly onto the hull of the ship. Thus, the pilot can climb more safely. We are negotiating with ISO, IMO, IMPA etc in order to standardize these items for pilot safety.

Video by Fathom Safety: "When a pilot ladder reaches its 30 month anniversary it needs a retest certificate. It must be returned to the manufacturer or an approved testing station to be weight tested and inspected."

Drydocking or undocking is always a difficult task, particularly with a “dead” vessel (no power/propulsion) and the wind blowing on the ship's side.

This article describes the findings from two studies that utilised an integrated systems thinking framework to understand how pilots make decisions and what factors are perceived to influence their decisions.

Back in August 2022, we received an offer to accompany the Port Colborne Pilot boat to make a video about the process of putting Pilots on board ships sailing on the Great Lakes. Port Colborne is the upbound terminus of the Welland Canal, and opens onto Lake Erie.