Durban Harbour Pilot Boat

by BAIRD MARITIME: France's JFA Yachts recently handed over a new self-righting boat to the Le Havre Pilot Station.

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...

Hike Metal is excited to announce the launch a new vessel, here are the specs: Introducing the new HIKE Navigator! This 38' Pilot Boat has an impressive 13.3 ft beam. Powered by two Volvo Penta Diesel engines, this vessel can run at a max speed of 39 knots (45MPH, 72KMH) and has a 300 mile range. Hike Metal is a world Class custom boat builder offering unparalleled design of maritime engineering, production, and manufacturing of a variety of boats and ships for commercial, government, and...

The Tampa Bay pilot association has taken delivery of Tampa, a newly refitted Chesapeake Class pilot boat built by Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding in 2003, when the Mass., shipyard introduced the class of mid-size, high-speed launches.

Pilot Boarding on PCC Vessel

At the Port of London Authority, an immersive pilot simulator is designed to continuously train and assess pilots to maintain quality and skills in the industry.

Drydocking or undocking is always a difficult task, particularly with a “dead” vessel (no power/propulsion) and the wind blowing on the ship's side.

Official Video by MAERSK:" In the past two years we have made boarding safer for maritime pilots on more than 100 ships."

Article and pictures by Captain W J M Hargreaves, Retired Southampton Pilot