Experts of the Port: The Maritime Pilot
Monday, July 8, 2013 at 12:20PM Ever wonder about that little speed boat that pulls along your ship as you enter and depart the port? Most of us who have been on a number of cruises know that this is the Pilot Boat which delivers and retrieves the pilot from the ship. But, who needs a pilot anyways?
It wasn’t until I was on a cruise ship which called on Flam, Norway when my curiosity sparked surrounding the pilot. There we were, slowly gliding through the mirrored waters between the massive and impressive fjords leading into Flam as suddenly, out of the tranquil landscape, approached the small pilot boat as if it were out of a movie. As is normally the case, all the passengers on deck leaned over the railings to watch the pilot jump on-board.
Celebrity Century cruising into the port of Flam, Norway
Sometimes, the sea is like glass, as was the case in Flam, other times it is a far riskier boarding maneuver as the seas don’t always seem to cooperate. One exciting time was while we were departing the beautiful and picturesque port of Cartagena, Colombia. As we exited the port flanked by impressive forts on either side, we noticed the wind and waves really kick up.
Exiting the port of Cartagena, Colombia
Sure enough, at that same time, we saw the pilot boat approaching to retrieve the pilot. It’s amazing how much a little boat like that can bounce around in the swell. Our enormous ship then took a wide turn towards port to shield the smaller pilot boat from the weather. In doing so, the sea flattened and the pilot was then able to hop right off and head home. Even though many of us have seen it a number of times, it’s always amazing to see the process unfold. As conditions are never constant, it’s always fascinating to see how the two ships work in harmony.
Pilot boarding the cruise ship
Each time a ship enters and departs port, the pilot plays a vital role in the success of the journey. While the ship’s captain has tremendous abilities and training pertaining to navigation and the function of their ship, their knowledge of specific ports cannot be compared to the port’s pilot. The pilot is truly an expert of their home port. They must know and memorize in great detail all of the unique features of their particular port such as water depths, tides, currents, and hazards just to name a few. In fact, a pilot can essentially re-create an entire navigational chart for their port all from memory! Many characteristics of an individual port must be learned over time by experience as they cannot be properly communicated by chart or book. A ship’s staff cannot possibly acquire the enormous wealth of knowledge that a pilot has on any particular port making the role of the pilot essential. Since pilots have so much responsibility over the lives of so many people along the enormous sum of money these vessels and their goods represent, becoming a pilot is a highly competitive process. As a result, pilots are generally very handsomely compensated as salaries are generally well into the six figures.
Celebrity Century leaving Alesund, Norway
When I first pictured the role of a ship pilot, I imagined they boarded the ship and immediately took over the controls as an airline pilot would do. However, in most cases, the pilot functions as an advisory role leaving the Captain of the ship with full command and responsibility over their vessel. The crew of the ship and the pilot work in tandem to successfully navigate through the narrow, congested, and sometimes hazardous conditions that often exist at port. On a side note, I later found out during my Panama Canal cruise that the only time that pilot actually takes control over a vessel is during the crossing of the Panama Canal.
Pilot boat leaving after picking up the pilot from the cruise ship
As in most business ventures, the primary goal is to make a profit. Unfortunately, this profit goal is not always in harmony with safety. Cruise and commercial shipping companies are often in a race against the clock as there is incentive to get in and out of port as quickly as possible. By utilizing a pilot, this potential conflict of interest is immediately eliminated as the pilot, unlike the ship’s captain, is a public employee who does not report to the ship’s owner. Safety becomes the one and only priority. With countless ships entering and exiting ports on a daily basis around the world, it is not by luck that we rarely hear of incidents at port.
Freshcruiser Tip: Each time you leave a port, I hope you do what I do now and take a second to think about all the great and competent individuals who have dedicated their lives to ensure your safety each port at a time.
cruise, cruise safety, navigation, pilot boat in Cruise, Ports, Travel
Reader Comments (3)
Wow, I learned so much about the pilot boats. I always wondered why the boat was pulling up to the cruise ship! Very informative.
Hi there!
A nice post, but I´d like to add a few details.
You are absolutely right in saying that the pilot is always an advisor to the captain. However, in practice, most captains will give "the conduct" of the ship to the Pilot. Working as a pilot in a middle east oil port responsible for roughly 15% of the world´s oil production, I deal with tankers every day ranging in size from 5.000 to 320.000 tons loading capacity, and the biggest ones can load close to 2,2 million barrels of oil. So far I have not had any captain interfering with my maneuver, and it is quite usual for the pilot to run a "solo" show. However, best practice is to involve the entire bridge team (captain, mate, helmsman etc) in the operation. This is normally when things run most smoothly.
The biggest difference between a tanker and a cruise ship is that the former generally requires tug assistance, while the latter has a lot of in-built equipment (such as bow and stern thrusters, azipods etc). On a cruise ship, the captain usually knows best how to operate these things, and the pilot will generally advice him on current conditions, approach speed, dock facility, mooring arrangements etc. A tanker, however, is built to go as cheap as possible from A to B, and have an absolute minimum of what is required to do just that. This means tugboats is needed to dock a tanker, and this is where a pilot really reveals his role. We are conversant with the working language and commands used for the tugs, and we are also specialists in optimizing the use of them. So generally speaking, when there is tugs involved, the pilot will normally always do the entire maneuver.
Being a pilot is the most rewarding job on the planet! Moving around some of the biggest objects made by man, we also have the great opportunity to meet professionals (and some not so much professional) from all over the world. That is truly a fascinating aspect of our job, and being able to deal with different cultures is probably the most important skill a pilot can aquire.
All the best, and happy sailing!
Such an interesting post and great input @LAX. So fascinating about the differences of working tankers vs cruise ship piloting. I bet you have some great stories LAX about some of your experiences, I'd love to hear some.! This really is a whole profession I've never thought much beyond just seeing the little speed boat pull up to the ship.