Pilot Boat POLARIS

Pilot Boat build by Abeking & Rasmussen, Germany.

Pilot boat L243

Associated British Ports (ABP) the UK’s largest and best-connected port operator, has commissioned a fleet of nine new state-of-the art pilot boats from Goodchild Marine Services, representing an investment of around £9 million to further enhance port operations across its network.

Pilot boat Razorbill southbound on the River Mersey, returning from the bar.

A Pilot Boat alongside a Cruise Ship

The new pilot boat "Buran" has been delivered to Poseidon Sea Pilots of Queensland, Australia.

The Ship Voyage - Poem - By_ Khan
www.Marine-Pilots.com

A more unique angle regarding freighter departures; I was able to film the routine disembarking of one of our local ship captains and officers after piloting Solina out of the harbor. This is a required procedure, as per US Maritime Laws, all international freighters must be piloted in and out of a US harbor by a US Captain. Here we have out local pilot vessel Sea Bear running up alongside the Solina to allow the two officers to depart the freighter before she heads out across Lake Superior

This report on incidents involving vessels under pilotage, is an update on that issued in 2006. The IG’s first report examined five years of data between 1999 and 2004.