Pilot Boat Draco (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).

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?

Like many seafarers I have long been a keen follower of The Nautical Institute’s MARS programme, and along with many other members I listened to the recent webinar on that topic. One theme which was repeated more than once was that it is better to learn from someone else’s misfortune rather than have it happen to you. Having personally been involved in two near misses resulting from unsafe pilot transfer arrangements in a relatively short space of time, I asked how experiences and knowledge specifically about pilot ladder safety could best be promulgated to avoid repeating common accidents or near misses.

Shipping Australia is delighted to welcome the Australasian Marine Pilots Institute as our newest corporate associate member

The next step for NZMPA is to issue a set of regulator-endorsed guidance notes. The first version will focus on accommodation ladders used in conjunction with pilot ladders.

A MIXED METHODOLOGY REVIEW INTO THE BOARDING AND LANDING OF MARITIME PILOTS.

‘It certainly hurts – using the integrated lifting sling on a life jacket.’

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission of New Zealand (TAIC) has released its report on the incident involving the grounding of a foreign-flagged cargo vessel at Bluff Harbour on November 28, 2018.