Tag: Pilot Transfer Arrangements

A marine pilot, or simply pilot, is a mariner who maneuvers ships through dangerous or congested waters, such as harbors or river mouths.

IMPA, representing the international community of pilots, conducts an annual safety campaign with the objective of reporting pilots’ experiences of ladders and boarding equipment to the IMO and the wider shipping community. 2020’s campaign received 6,394 reports from pilots operating across the world. 

The US Coast Guard Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance has published MSIB 21-20 Change 1 “Recommendation for Pilot Transfer Arrangements”, in light of recent deaths of maritime pilots while embarking commercial vessels.

Following the loss of a New York pilot on December 30, the American Pilots’ Association issued a notice to the marine community advising of the dangers of some accommodation ladder/ pilot ladder combination arrangements with integrated embarking platforms.

Following the death of a New York pilot back in December 2019, the American Pilots' Association on behalf of around 1.200 American ship pilots, recently conducted a letter to the US State Pilotage Authorities concerning pilots' safety.

Tokyo MoU issued a Safety Bulletin to inform of the potential risks of using improperly rigged pilot ladders. This comes in response to several reports from pilots and pilot associations indicating that vessels are improperly securing their pilot ladders to the ship.

In its latest issue for November, CHIRP focuses on the reasons why receiving several reports from marine pilots is a constantly-seen phenomenon. Many of the received reports are based on pilot boarding arrangements or pilotage issues, while CHIRP highlights the facts of this usual situation.

Maritime New Zealand issued a safety update highlighting the importance of rightly using secured pilot ladders to avoid accidents and provides information on safety boarding arrangements and the methods used to ensure secure pilot ladders.

SQEMARINE recommends best practice guide for Pilot Transfer Arrangements CIC, scheduled from Sep. 1st to Nov. 30rd, 2016. This CIC aims to verify that vessels comply with the requirements and measures regarding pilot transfer arrangements on board ships detailed in the Annex to IMO Resolution A.1045 (27)

Riyadh MoU announced the launch of a CIC based on Pilot Transfer Arrangement which will be held from three months, from September 1st until November 30th 2016. The purpose of this CIC is to ensure that the ship master and crew are familiar with this arrangement.