Pilot Boat Approaching

The construction and commissioning of a new pilot boat for Jacobsen Pilot Service in great pictures.

After years of looking, the Port of Grays Harbor has its new pilot boat, the Vega, to replace the 60-year-old Chehalis.

The Port of Waterford is to invest almost €1m in a new pilot boat to be named Port Láirge, which as Irish for Waterford is a name long associated with a steam-powered dredger that served Waterford for more than 70 years until the 1980s.

By the end of this year, our sea pilots are set to have undertaken a record number of pilotage acts. The total number is set to exceed 10,700, with almost 99% of the acts completed without delay.

Australia’s high-tech FRP specialist boat builder Hart Marine has been building pilot, patrol and rescue boats for a couple of decades. That experience tells as the boats continually improve from an already high base.

Luke Sorensen began his career as a Marine Pilot in 2011. Now the Manager of Pilotage Services, North Queensland Bulk Ports (NQBP), he mentors Pilots moving through the NQBP Training Framework to become competent and confident in bringing ships into berth at our ports. Luke explains the process of mentoring.

What a great pleasure to meet these guys at the harbour - they could not have been more helpful and forthright about their work. At first glance, the glide of these orange powerboats up and down Belfast Lough seems an almost effortless task, but close up this is a very skilled trade and constant management of risk 24/7 in high and low seas, jumping from ship to boat to land taking safe control of the great volume of steel vessel coming in and out of this busy port. Though a hub of...

In March the Slovenian Government has concluded a contract with the state-owned Kopp Izobraževanje company to provide maritime piloting services in the port of Koper as a public service. So far these services have been provided by private company Piloti Koper.