Pilot Boarding with SWATH Pilot Vessel "Groden", Germany

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...

It has been 1 month since the 1st case of coronavirus in the country. All airports were shut down, and mandatory confinement was issued 10 days ago. Nevertheless, Maritime shipping must continue (except for tourist related). The means that us pilots must continue with our duties despite the risks involved with all the ships' crews arriving from different countries. So we need to take all safety measures possible.
This particular maneuver was unberthing a chemical tanker, in loaded...

Delaware River Pilot Boat Transfers Pilot to Moving Ship - Delaware River - Philadelphia - August 23, 2023

Pilot debark from Battleship Texas to pilot boat Galveston following the relocation of the battleship to another pier. There was a second pilot who later debarked from Battleship Texas to pilot boat Texas.

Going down the accommodation ladder with neither lifevest nor safety line must have been based on similar, past, successful operations, which may have never been challenged on board. This ‘slippage’ in safety is a pernicious and common phenomenon.

Editors note: There was a reason why this idea of a kind of ladder-elevator did not become accepted!

TOKYO-Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President & CEO: Takeshi Hashimoto) today announced that the Japan Federation of Pilots' Association (JFPA) (Note 1) has presented its Best Quality Ship Award for fiscal year (FY) 2021 to two MOL-operated vessels—the LNG carrier LNG SATURN and the bulk carrier TAIYO.