Pilot Boat Ride Along (St. Andrew Bay Pilots Association)

Boat builder Metal Shark recently delivered a welded-aluminum 45 Defiant crew boat to Anchorage Launch Services, an Oregon-based operator providing launch, line, pilotage, and cargo services to vessels on the Columbia and Willamette Rivers.

A pilot boat is a type of boat used to transport maritime pilots between land and the inbound or outbound ships that they are piloting.

Here’s a nice video of the recent sea trials with ‘South Esk’, a new Interceptor 48 pilot boat for the Montrose Port Authority in Scotland. It was fairly rough during our sea trial days with a fair bit of wind, and although it was touch and go flying the drone, we managed to capture some wonderful video of her and Ederra 7 at the entrance to Cork Harbour in a gale.

Following in a long line of ever more refined and very seaworthy vessels, this small example of a Safehaven pilot boat has been chosen for operations on and around Scotland’s Cromarty Firth.

Case Study: An investigation into whether Port of Melbourne and major port user, ExxonMobil, could bring deeper drafted vessels into the channel.

A beautiful day, climbing up the (not-so-well-rigged) pilot ladder and then the stairs of the accommodation towards the bridge.

In a navigation incident, the first line of inquiry would normally cover the bridge watchkeepers. While the human element plays a significant role in these incidents, it is perhaps worth asking, what if some geographic areas are more prone to navigation incidents than others?

Fathom Safety now offers an online course on Pilot Ladder Training

With effect from 1 June 2026, Steffen Schmedes has been appointed Managing Director of TRENZ GmbH. He will lead the company with immediate effect alongside Frank Diegel, who previously managed TRENZ alone.