Tag: pilots

In December 2020, Australian Pilot Captain Ritesh Bhamaria was expertly piloting oil tanker MT Godam through the Torres Strait in adverse weather conditions when he and the vessel crew sighted a distant hand waving for help in the rough sea.

In some cases the Pilot may inform the local PSC station for unsafe acts observed during pilotage, however this is not a common practice. So, what can a PSCO do?

For a Marine Pilot, embarking and disembarking a ship is a challenging task. Pilot ladders is a simple and inexpensive way to embark and disembark a vessel at sea; however, many pilots are still being injured whilst embarking ships. Safe pilot transfers are the result of cooperation between vessel management and the pilot.

When accidents occur whilst a vessel is under pilotage, the cause is generally a collective underperformance of the bridge team, and it is recognized that the ships’ masters and officers will also have played a part, the Gard P&I Club said.

The US Coast Guard shared equipment manufacturers' guidance to seek approval of pilot ladders and embarkation ladders that meet ISO 799-1:2019 or ISO 5489:2008, respectively, as well as current guidance on embarking and disembarking of pilots.

A tragic incident occurred early in the morning of 4th May in Algeciras waters, Spain, during crew change operation.

In its Monthly Safety Scenario for May, the Swedish Club describes a vessel grounding while departing port. The incident occurred as the pilot forgot to inform that the buoy had been moved from its original position because the channel was being dredged. 

In line with growing concern by local pilot associations on unsafe boarding arrangements, the Belgium pilot association issued a notice to incoming vessels to remind them to follow the requirements regarding pilot transfer arrangements.

As incidents involving poorly maintained pilot ladders remain a concern for the shipping industry, local pilot associations have recently taken action in protest of boarding arrangements that are considered non-compliant, according to information by North of England P&I Club. 

The LNG carrier ‘Genesis River’ collided with a 297-foot-long tank barge being pushed ahead by the 69-foot-long towing vessel ‘Voyager’, spilling petrochemical cargo into the Houston Ship Channel and capsizing a barge.