Blog: https://www.merrimacins.com/understanding-and-preventing-tug-barge-risks/ Understanding and Preventing Tug & Barge Risks The maritime industry relies on tugboats and barges for a wide range of applications. Tugs are used to pilot vessels into and out of ports, while barges are used to transport bulk materials. The relationship between tugs and barges is critical, as most barges are not self-propelled and must rely on the skilled operation of a tug or tugs for propulsion. At Merrimac...
Port operations, whether these are being performed on water or on land, are often not without risk. Pilots boarding a ship while sailing, navigating through narrow passages, collision avoidance with other smaller or larger vessels, discharging and moving cargo on land, walking between container handling equipment and trucks…
Here’s some cool video footage we captured of the Cork Pilots in their Interceptor 48 pilot boat ‘Failte’ undertaking pilot transfers off Cork Harbour during the recent days of strong SE gales. Roches Point lighthouse recorded 50kts of wind on the 13th as the Cosco bulk carrier passed and the Cork wave buoy 2nm off the harbour entrance recorded waves to 6.7m at the time. The pilot boat coxwain managed to get alongside and safely disembark the pilot despite the challenging sea state....
Following a review Harwich Haven Authority (the Authority), in its role as a Competent Harbour Authority (CHA), has applied to the Department for Transport (the Department) to extend its existing area of voluntary pilotage to include the western most areas of Hamford Water and Oakley Creek in the area known as the Walton Backwaters.
