Boarding via Tug Boat - Is this safe?!

"A performance assessment tool for maritime pilotage operations" - by Jørgen Ernstsen, Norway
When the ship is approaching or leaving a port, a local navigational expert, the pilot, is often provided for assisting the bridge team to safely and efficiently navigate the littoral waters.

It has been exactly one year ago that a pilot from Sandy Hook (New York), Dennis Sherwood, died in the line of duty while attempting to board the container vessel Maersk Kensington.
What has happened since then? Has safety been improved for the pilots?

Pilot Boarding on PCC Vessel

I have had the privilege of being at quite a number of meetings, conferences and seminars, sometimes representing The Netherlands, but mostly representing the Netherlands pilots. I have had many discussions about the role of pilots and pilot organisations, which lead me to write an article “What is the added value of pilotage?”, published in the February 2020 issue of Seaways.

FASTWATER Consortium and the Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA) successfully demonstrated a pilot boat that has been converted to operate on Methanol fuel. The demonstration in Stockholm Harbour follows the successful bunkering of the vessel at the SMA pilot station in Oxelösund, Sweden, where the pilot boat will be based.

A unique 3D video endeavoring to raise the awareness of the seafarers about a very important, critical, and essential piece of equipment on board. Basic in design, but high on purpose, the mistakes incorrect handling of this equipment continue to result in Near Miss, Incidents and accidents.

This video is an extract of some elements from lectures by Knud Benedict on "Simulation" as part of the seminars provided by the IALA World Wide Academy on the use of the "IALA Toolbox for Port & Waterway Risk Management".