At a staff meeting about avoiding collisions and allisions in piloting waters with the Master and Pilot on the bridge my respected colleague responsible for training and operations had a question. How can an experienced, qualified Pilot and Master, standing side by side on the bridge, conn a ship into a collision or allision? How does that happen? It was a rhetorical … [Read more...]
One Missing After Marine Pilot Transfer Helicopter Ditches Off Port Hedland, Western Australia
Friday Update - Search operations for the missing helicopter pilot off Port Hedland resumed Friday morning involving four vessels, seven helicopters and AMSA’s Challenger search and rescue jet. Thursday - A helicopter used to transfer marine pilots to and from ships at Australia's largest iron ore loading port has crashed in the waters off Western Australia, leaving one … [Read more...]
Dutch Pilot Boat Damaged in Collision with Bulk Carrier
A Dutch pilot boat was severely damaged after colliding with a bulk carrier off the coast of Netherlands on Sunday morning. According to Dutch media reports, the pilot boat Pollux was involved in a collision with the Panamanian-flagged Nord Taurus at approximately 4:15 a.m. Sunday at the Steenbank pilot station, located approximately 12 miles nautical miles from Westkapelle … [Read more...]
Two Killed After Pilot Boat Capsizes Off Finland
Two Finnish pilot boat operators have died after the boat they were on capsized and sank in the Gulf of Finland on Friday. The accident occurred at 4:58 p.m. Friday evening when the pilot boat L242 overturned off of Emäsalo island as they headed to pick up a pilot at the northern pilot boarding position, according to a statement from Finnpilot Pilotage, which … [Read more...]
MAIB: London Ship Pilot Was Drinking Before Fatal Boarding Accident
An experienced ship pilot with the Port of London Authority had been drinking before he fell to his death during a pilot transfer on the River Thames last October, according to the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch's report on the incident. The accident occurred at 6:12 p.m. on October 5, 2016 as the Port of London Authority pilot was in the process of boarding … [Read more...]