There seems to have been a spate of pilot boat deliveries of late. They are and always have been very interesting and innovative craft. They often lead the way into patrol, rescue and leisure boats. They have, after all, to be comparatively small, nippy, very seaworthy and reliable. Mostly they are.
Most seem to be in the 12 to 23 metre LOA range and are almost always constructed of FRP or aluminium. Some are RIBs.
Their role, of course, is to safely deliver and recover pilots to and from ships in often very poor conditions. So, they have to be excellent seaboats. Most are. Their role can be very difficult and the actual transfer of the pilot is fraught with danger so the boats also have to serve as very good rescue and recovery craft for when a pilot, albeit reluctantly, goes for a swim.
The coming week on Baird Maritime, will see a lineup of new examples of pilot boats from around the world. There is some exciting innovation to come and many valuable lessons for operators of many other kinds of boats.
– "The days when the master could be godlike, strong, silent or stand-offish are long gone."
– by Alan Loynd, former General Manager of the renowned Hong Kong Salvage and Towage company
– "Is it reasonable to place all the responsibility on the master for operations he probably would not understand, or expect him to recognise a potential disaster and intervene in five seconds?"
– by Alan Loynd, former General Manager of the renowned Hong Kong Salvage and Towage company
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Any news or views about the global pilotage industry? Send it through to editor@bairdmaritime.com ASAP (between now and November 5), so we can add it to this current edition of Pilotage Week!
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