Port Tampa Bay Florida Pilot Boat Wizzes On By.

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.

Vessel name: Polaris ; Year built: 2012 ; Flag: Netherlands ; Homeport: Rotterdam Length: 81.2m X 13.3m ; GRT: 2501 ; Callsign: PBZN ; MMSI:245142000 ; IMO: 9496915 Type: Special Vessel / Pilot Ship A "Pilot Ship / Pilot Vessel" is a "special type" of ship in which it accommodates a certain and limited Marine Pilots (Sea, River, Harbor Pilots), it also carries small boats/crafts that are used to tender services to and from the Pilot ship. In a Pilot Vessel, the Pilots can take their time...

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...

paradip pilot onboard along side at ship

We were lucky to come across the Tom Crean whilst offshore putting some hours on the Interceptor 60 pilot P&O Sahm. Taking the opportunity to undertake some alongside handling trials, we captured some cool footage of Tom Crean pushing through the waves.

*Testing out a new camcorder. A Canon Vixia HFG70. Picture is fantastic. Shot in 1920x1080p at 60FPS. However, the external (add-on) microphone is terrible. Going to replace it with a much better one.*
Marine pilots boarding the ms Eurodam in three locations. Nassau, Bahamas. Amber Cover, Dominican Republic. Half Moon Cay, Bahamas. Did you know that Grand Turk does not have a pilot? I did not know that. Enjoy.
Yes I know I made the "Bahamas" possessive. It's a mistake.

Earlier this month, Snow & Company of Seattle, Wash., handed off Savannah, the first of two new 64-foot aluminum pilot boats to the Savannah Pilots Association.

Video showing marine pilot navigating a cargo ship from Plan du Port