Pilot Boat Approaching in Tallin Estonia Pilot OnBoard

From our deck 12 cabin balcony, some footage of the pilot boat coming alongside Virgin Voyages' cruise ship Scarlet Lady in the Solent between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. If you're expecting action and excitement then brace yourself for not quite that at all, but it is fairly impressive how close the pilot boat gets to the larger vessel, bouncing around on the waves. I did want to see the pilot leap from the ship to the boat but in truth got tired of waiting so if that's the bit...

Today a look at a special vessel that is commonly seen on the Astoria waterfront: the pilot boat that takes pilots to and from passing ships.

Earlier this year ABP announced an investment of around £9 million to build nine new pilot boats. These vessels were ordered from Goodchild Marine Services Limited and are being built in Norfolk along with much of the supply chain coming from East Anglian suppliers.

During 2022 Saab’s shipyard in Docksta has delivered two Pilot Boats to Germany. In December a contract for a new Pilot Boat for Germany was signed.

Understanding the fundamentals of the pivot point is highly required for understanding the alteration of the courses. Pivot point is an imaginary point on the vessel which turns on a circular path on the perimeter of vessel’s turning circle when the vessel makes a turn. The knowledge about the position of the pivot point in a manoeuvring situation provides the ship handler with the information on the geometry of motion of the ship.

University of York: Here, Dr Kate Preston explains why we need to fully understand the complexity maritime pilotage before we can integrate technology like autonomy.

The United Kingdom Maritime Pilots’ Association (UKMPA) today announced the launch of a major rebranding following the UK’s recent departure from the European Union. The timely changes from a heraldic collection of flags to a modern visual image that more properly reflects an association that is proactive, inclusive and dynamic whilst at the same time maintaining its historical context.

Norwegian shipping company Bukser og Berging has placed an order for a new pilot launch to be built by Kewatec Aluboat of Finland.

The International Users Group of ISPO-certified pilot organizations (IUG) congratulates Midwest Port Pilots on gaining its ISPO accreditation.