Captain Sean Bolt, Harbour Master for Albany Port Authority in Western Australia, has written to us in response the Terminal Conditions article “Pilots: A closed shop that helps only pilots” (published online on February 1).

A few months ago, how pilots and ports could perhaps learn from the airline sector was the focus of this column. The subject of the Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) hardly got a mention then. It’s time to redress that oversight.

Nick Cutmore, secretary general of the International Maritime Pilots’ Association, has written to us in response the Terminal Conditions article “Pilots: A closed shop that helps only pilots” (published online on February 1).

Having teenage children is a great way to get a new perspective on management issues within ports. Like teenagers, operations, marketing and accounts often seem to compete for attention rather than work with each other towards achievement.

Airline pilots are a special breed. Highly intelligent, highly trained, well disciplined, courteous, calm in the most trying of circumstances, and perhaps most important of all, able to take long periods of boredom with no ill effects.