Pilot "rides" aboard on ladder elevator. Footage from 1966

KITTIWAKE ( MMSI 232008570) is a Pilot and currently sailing under the flag of United Kingdom (UK) Here she is speeding down the River this morning.

Vessel name: Polaris ; Year built: 2012 ; Flag: Netherlands ; Homeport: Rotterdam Length: 81.2m X 13.3m ; GRT: 2501 ; Callsign: PBZN ; MMSI:245142000 ; IMO: 9496915 Type: Special Vessel / Pilot Ship A "Pilot Ship / Pilot Vessel" is a "special type" of ship in which it accommodates a certain and limited Marine Pilots (Sea, River, Harbor Pilots), it also carries small boats/crafts that are used to tender services to and from the Pilot ship. In a Pilot Vessel, the Pilots can take their time...

Манёвр судна с помощью двух буксиров, заходящего в речку частично крытой льдом.
Inbound vessel maneuver with two tugs assistance doing river passage partly covered by ice.
LOA=140m, B=23m.

This paper described some of the characteristics it could offer to be classified as "smart" by reviewing risk management practices and accident statistics using the Finnish port of Rauma.

Three pilot companies operate launches from Queenscliff. They take pilots to and from the shipping that comes through Port Phillip heads to the ports of Melbourne and Geelong.

For 174 years, the San Francisco Bar Pilots have been safely navigating the world’s largest ships through some of North America’s most challenging waterways.

This video offers an insight into the job of the Trinity House North Sea Pilots

Pilot Cutter 19.6m for sale with Boatshed Wales - https://wales.boatshed.com/pilot_cutter_196m-boat-311150.html Photos and video taken by Boatshed Wales

The construction and commissioning of a new pilot boat for Jacobsen Pilot Service in great pictures.