Pilot rope ladder - Deyuan Marine

These are images that no one wants to see. How can people take such a risk and behave so unprofessionally? Purely a matter of luck whether you come home again in the evening!

We bid farewell to our Otaru marine pilot just outside Otaru Harbor, Japan. The crew of the pilot tug were particularly fastidious about not marking up the side of the Viking Orion during the operations, spraying the interface with water, even though that might have made the transfer more hazardous for the pilot. From the Viking Orion, October 2024

This video briefly describes the special operation of transfer of marine pilots at sea

Up close with Ever Forward: Massive cargo ship stuck on Chesapeake Bay for a month

On march 24th, 2022, the bulkcarrier BERGE BIMBERI entered Port of Rotterdam via the Eurochannel. The ship had a draft of 17,6 meters and two pilots were flown in by helicopter for this job. Assisted by Faiplay tugs and KRVE linesmen she eventually berthed at EECV bulk terminal in Europoort, Rotterdam.

The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) upcoming amendments to SOLAS Chapter V, Regulation 23, represent a significant step forward in enhancing the safety of pilot ladder operations.

The pilot at Nagasaki Port fell into the water at around 0530 Tokyo time on 5 May while boarding the cruise ship DIAMOND PRINCESS, which was about to enter Nagasaki.