The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has secured a win for marine pilot safety, following the successful prosecution of a master and company in the Perth Magistrates Court on 23 May 2023. On 24 August 2022, the Cyprus-flagged cargo ship AAL Dampier (owned by AAL Dampier Navigation Co Ltd) was departing the Port of […]
News
Is your point strong enough?
The issue of the proper securing of a pilot ladder is one of the main topics of the website pilotladdersafety.com. Using a designated strong point on deck is always the best possible way to go. Given the fact that the combined sideropes have a SWL of 9,6 tonnes, these strong […]
Video: why retrieval lines can be dangerous
Retrieval lines are mainly used – as the name implies – to retrieve the pilot ladder after use. It has often been argued that they can be trip hazards for pilots, getting on- or off the speed tender. The rule of the thumb for the correct use of the retrieval […]
Fall arrestors or not, here’s why not.
When it comes to pilotladder safety, the question sometimes arises on why we don’t use fall arrestors in the pilotage industry. That is a very legitimate question from a shore-based point of view. However with two independent vertically moving platforms – the ship and the pilot tender – that becomes […]
20 Years of accidentology
The French Maritime Pilots Association today launched a very impressive and usefull instruction video on the safe and correct use of pilot ladder arrangements. Many thanks to the French pilots for this contribution to pilot ladder safety!
Japanese Pilot dies while boarding a ship
On may 5th, at 0530 in the morning, a 69 year old Japanese pilot fell in the water while boarding the passenger vessel DIAMOND PRINCESS. A message was received by the Nagasaki coastguard station from the pilot boat stating that a pilot had fallen into the water while boarding the […]
USCG Safety Alert on Handhold Stanchions
On February 9th, 2023 Unites States Coast guard issued a safety alert (04-22-CH1) in which attention is drawn to the correct positioning of handhold stanchions onboard of ships. This Safety Alert addresses the importance of verifying the correct arrangement of handholds in embarkation gate arrangements aboard merchant vessels. The Coast […]
The 2023 review of Pilot Transfer Arrangement Regulations, a chance for innovation?
In the spring of 2023, the IMO Sub-commission on Navigation, Communications and Search and Rescue (NCSR) may start a process of review and amendments to the SOLAS Ch V. reg 23: the regulations regarding Pilot Transfer Arrangements (PTAs). The pilot ladder in use today dates back decades, if not centuries. […]
Impa Safety Campaign Analysis 2018-2022
Every year, the International Maritime Pilots’ Association publishes the results of its annual IMPA SAFETY CAMPAIGN. The following analysis has been made using data from the IMPA Safety Campaign on pilot ladders from 2018 until 2022. The data has been retrieved from the IMPA site and from data of previous […]
Pilbara Ports make ladder testing as per ISO 799 mandatory
In a recent Local Marine Notice 12/22, the port of Port Hedland has made the industry standard ISO 799-1 mandatory for all ships calling the port from may first 2023. This means that ship are only allowed to use pilot ladders over 30 months old after they have been tested […]