San Francisco Shipping, Bar Pilot Transfer

In early December, just as I was starting to get into ship spotting, I saw a couple of vessels headed up river towards Philly. One of them, the Cielo di Iyo met with the harbor pilot right as I had my drone up. I was able to capture the Pilot coming to meet the vessel and CLIMBING the ladder to get on board just before she passed beneath the Walt Whitman Bridge.

Brief footage of a maritime pilot disembarking the Disney Magic and boarding his pilot boat as we left Nassau in January 2022.

Pilot boarding submarine HNLMS Bruinvis at North East Spit pilot station.
Pilot Captain Chris Renault.

A maritime pilot, marine pilot, harbor pilot, bar pilot, or simply pilot, is a sailor who maneuvers ships through dangerous or congested waters, such as harbors or river mouths. They are navigational experts possessing knowledge of the particular waterway such as its depth, currents, and hazards.

At Safehaven Marine it was great to be able to launch a new pilot boat for the Port of San Ciprian in Spain after nearly 2 months of Lockdown. She was nearly finished at the start of the lockdown. It sure was nice to be on the water again, even with social distancing.
We wanted to do something nice to lift everyone's spirits during these challenging times around the World, so we did a fly past our home Port of Cobh in Thunder Child II (Safehaven’s Transatlantic record attempt vessel) in...

IMPA has just released the results of the annual IMPA safety campaign, please have a look at the document. This year the non-compliances worldwide vary from 5% up to 70%....You can check your working area in the attachment.

The Good Practice Guide for Pilots 2021 describes the knowledge and skills (technical and non-technical) that the NZMPA believe all pilots should aim to achieve and maintain. It is written primarily for pilots for their own guidance and professional development, but can be used as a framework for pilot training, proficiency and assessment. It is referenced to NZ Maritime Law and Codes.

Pilot boat launch in Youghal on July 2012.

Maersk will begin implementation of an innovation called Snap Back Arrestor (SBA) ropes on the mooring lines used to hold vessels in place while docked in port for loading and unloading. Mooring is one of the most dangerous aspects of port and vessel operations.