Accommodation Ladder Load Testing

Watch and learn how a pilot boards a container ship before entering port.
In this video, a container ship bound for Houston, Texas is boarded by a Houston Pilot before entering the Houston Ship Channel.
#maritime #HoustonPilots #houstonshipchannel

Over the course of 4 days this August, I was afforded the opportunity and privilege of riding with the Savannah Bar Pilots for an article I was writing for a major maritime magazine. The pilots are given the responsibility of boarding a vessel in the Atlantic Ocean and safely navigating the vessel up the Tybee Road 9 (a name for the shipping lane that leads into the Savannah River), into the Savannah River, and into the Port of Savannah. The same is done in reverse when a ship is outbound...

Most pilot embarkations and disembarkations around the world, are still carried out using a traditional pilot ladder, consisting of wooden steps supported and secured by side ropes.

Since 2022, there is a solution in Germany that helps pilots to report defects in pilot ladders or pilot transfer arrangements quickly and easily. The apps are available for Android & iOS.

The next step for NZMPA is to issue a set of regulator-endorsed guidance notes. The first version will focus on accommodation ladders used in conjunction with pilot ladders.

Crude Oil Tanker British Robin passing St Anns Head on a rather windy day in Pembrokeshire.

Early morning in the North Sea, three-metre swells, freezing winds, and a burst of hail hammering the deck - perfect conditions for another day with the Port of Tyne pilotage.
In this video we take two pilots out to the Aquamarine Ace onboard the pilot boat Collingwood, pushing through seriously choppy water on a bitter, stormy morning. You’ll see the full run out to sea, the swell hitting the bow, the hailstorm rolling in, and the precision teamwork that gets the pilots safely across in...

LEIGH ANN MORAN - Towing Vessel and the YELLOW ROSE - Pilot Vessel