Pilot boat manoeuvring towards mega cargo ship

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...

Safehaven Marine have delivered one our Interceptor 48 pilot vessels to the San Juan Bay Pilots, Puerto Rico.
This marks Safehaven Marines 41st pilot boat delivered to portsWorldwide. ‘Harbor Thunder’ a very striking
design, she is powered by a pair of Cummins QSM11 engines at a heavy duty rating of 450hp, allowing the
vessel an economical continuous operational speed of 22-23kts.

The pilot for the port of Cairns jumping off the pilot boat and getting onto the cruise ship. 
Carnival Luminosa December 2024 

HADRIAN (IMO: 9222259) is a Pilot Ship that was built in 2000 (21 years ago) and is sailing under the flag of United Kingdom.
Her length overall (LOA) is 16.13 meters and her width is 5.3 meters.

Pilot boat L243

Arjen is a pilot in the Amsterdam-IJmond region. A registered pilot is an advisor to a ship. In good or bad weather, a pilot's work always goes on. Interaction between people is an important part of being a pilot.

The following article appeared in AIMPA magazine number 2 about the strength and testing of pilot ladders : There is much more information about pilot ladders in the AIMPA magazine, second issue, if you wish to read more you can download a copy at the bottom of this post.