Maritime Education #5: Pilotage Operations on General Cargo ship

This article was first published back in September 2021: Pilotage operations require close interaction between human and machines. This complex sociotechnical system is necessary to safely and efficiently maneuver a vessel in constrained waters.

The latest MS Amlin Marine circular, compiled by theTechnical Loss Prevention Consultant Peter van der Kroft, focuses on the importance of pilot safety in marine navigation.

Before you, you see my third article on pilot boarding arrangements. After my two previous articles
(‘1000 ways to secure a pilot ladder’ and ‘1000 ladders around’, I have received a lot of feedback and
also questions to get deeper into the matter of combinations and embarkation platforms.

Let us see how a maritime pilot is transferred by helicopter to a ship. In this video, we discuss briefly some procedures in a helicopter/ship operation for the transfer of pilots.

Technology group Wärtsilä will supply its latest simulator technology for a new maritime training centre in Finland.

The Virginia Pilot Association has ordered a high-speed, harbor pilot boat from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation. It’s the pilots’ tenth launch built by the Somerset, Mass., shipyard. Delivery is scheduled for mid-2023.

Boarding a vessel at sea can be dangerous. By following simple rules, it can be done safely. This safety video shows you how to leave the launch boat and climb the ladder when boarding vessels at sea safely as well as boarding preparations, safety precautions and boarding under special conditions. The 3 types of boarding arrangements for pilot are also explained. Watch with sound on. Transfers are normally safe when everyone takes all the precautions. If you think it is unsafe, remember to...

It's quite possibly the most isolated lighthouse in the world and is precariously perched on top of a rock pillar with the wild waves of the cold North Atlantic ocean raging below.

It is not often that this blog is used to show bad practice, however in this case some pictures tell a whole story. Ship is compliant by design for rigging a combination. How about the operator(s)?