Pilot Boat PIONEER from The Netherlands

KITTIWAKE ( MMSI 232008570) is a Pilot and currently sailing under the flag of United Kingdom (UK) Here she is speeding down the River this morning.

Spotted some Pilot Boats in the Port of Auckland, New Zealand and Melbourne & Fremantle Australia (Port codes: Auckland:NZ AKL ; Melbourne:AU MEL ; Fremantle:AU FRE).

"Rope Ladders" by PTR Holland

Personal Locator Beacons (PLB) and other individual MOB devices have been available for some years now and have evolved to incorporate a variety of different alerting methods and combinations. However, usage of these additional enhancements within UK Pilotage is still in its infancy.

Pilot disembarkation from ship (kakinada)
Editors note:
The shown protections are very massive in our opinion.
What does our community think about?

An investigation into actual strength of ladders and intermediate securing methods used.
Capt. and Marine Pilot Troy Evans (New Zealand) decided to look into pilot ladder strength and intermediate securing arrangements after MNZ put out what he felt was a confusing and unclear document about securing of pilot ladders.

Delaware River Pilot Boat Cape Henlopen Transfers Pilot to Cargo Ship Al Wathba - Delaware River - Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania - June 6, 2025

Furetank turns a former office building into a maritime educational centre on Donsö outside Gothenburg: a state-of-the-art ship simulator complex for training, assessment and certification.