Focus on Marine Pilotage

The ever-important marine pilotage industry continues to provide sterling service in many ports worldwide. This week, Baird Maritime takes a closer look at three new pilot boats recently delivered to operators in Canada, France, and the United States.

As with other sectors in the maritime industry, marine pilotage is always ready to improvise and adapt with changing time. One indication of this is an upcoming project involving the incorporation of a new type of electric foiling system on pilot boats serving Belfast Harbour in the UK. The important details of this project will be explained in a feature article to be released later this week, and so readers are encouraged to visit these pages regularly.

Vessel Reviews:

• Avocette – Self-righting pilot boat to operate in France’s Seine Estuary
  
• Shipeku – New launch delivered to Canada’s Laurentian Pilotage Authority
  
• Golden Gate – Versatile pilot boat to serve San Francisco Bay Area
  

Features and Opinion:

FEATURE | UK project to determine feasibility of electric foiling systems on pilot boats

– “The goal of the project is to determine whether the company’s electric foiling solution can help decarbonise marine pilotage operations, beginning with such operations in Belfast Harbour.”

News and Gear:

• Research and Training Vessel News Roundup | August 8 – Canadian ROV, Australian training vessel refit and more
• Outdated chart, miscommunication cited as factors in cruise ship strike on pier near Sitka, Alaska
• BOOK REVIEW | Workboats for the World: The Robert Allan Story
• Master, vessel company convicted for pilot ladder-related injury in Fremantle, Australia
• One dead following vessel transfer mishap off IJmuiden, Netherlands

Recent Important Features:

COLUMN | Marine pilotage: a highly dangerous business [Tug Times]

– “If anyone can find a solution, it is probably the pilots themselves since they are most familiar with the problems and have the most to gain.”

– by Alan Loynd, master mariner and former General Manager of the Hong Kong Salvage and Towage company

Remember to come back every day to see the latest news, opinion and vessel reviews!

Call for content!

Any news or views about the global pilotage industry? Send it through to [email protected] ASAP (between now and August 18), so we can add it to this current edition of Pilotage Week!

We are after:

• Vessels – Orders, new deliveries, under construction
• Gear – Latest innovations and technology in the pilot boat sector
• Interviews – Owners, operators, port authorities, marine pilotage associations, etc.
• Reminiscences – Do you have any exciting, amusing or downright dangerous anecdotes from your time in the marine pilotage world? (example here)
• Other – Any other relevant news

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