AIMPA

Safety & Securtiy

All India Maritime

Pilots’ Association

Providing Peek into

Maritime Pilots’ world
ISSUE III OCTOBER 2020
From President’s Desk An Updated Version on The Legacy of a 350 Yr
Capt. Gajanan Karanjikar, President-AIMPA Positioning of Pivot Point old Pilot Service
.
Capt. Santosha K. Nayak, Reshma Nilofer, Pilot,
Readers Views Marine Pilot, Krishnapatnam Port Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, India
.
. .
Personality of the month International Marine pilot platform Fundamentals of pilotage
Capt. N. N. Tara
. for information and knowledge including training, licence & safety
Sailing towards Innovation exchange an acute necessity By Capt. M. M. Saggi,
Captain Debashis Basu Mr. Frank Diegel Former Nautical Advisor to Govt. of India
 AIMPA

Re-concenptualising Indian Maritime Pilotage

Safety & Securtiy
A WEBINAR ON PILOTAGE

Supported by
All India Maritime
Pilots’ Association

CMMI

AIMPA Invites you to the first technical webinar on pilotage -

Re-conceptualising Indian Maritime Pilotage on 24th October, 2020, 1330 hrs to 1530 hrs IST
Program Flow
1330- 1335 - Introduction
1335- 1340 - Welcome speech, Theme of webinar - thought process.
Gajanan Karanjikar

Pilot ladder safety and Pilot transfer (ladder safety. crew training, Pilot transfer intricacies, Pilot boat crew)
1st Session - 1340 to 1430 hrs
Moderator: Ravi Nijjar
Ÿ Simon Meyjes - Pilot ladder safety and Transfer procedures
Ÿ Sansarchandra Choubey - Pilot boat/ Pilot crew from port perspective.
Ÿ *Jeanine Drummond - Pilot transfer. (TBC)
Ÿ Capt Santhosh Rangan - Sailing Master with Fleet Management HKG- Masters perspective on MPEX,
Piot transfer
Ÿ Q/A- 1420 to 1430 - Conclusion and session Valedictory by Moderator (Questions will be asked on chat)

Need for Pilot training for Safety of Navigation (Soft skills, team work, simulator
Vs manned models, Human factor in accidents)
2nd Session : 1430 to 1530 hrs
Moderator: Vinod Kumar Gupta
Ÿ Andrew Beazley - (Manned scaled model training)
Ÿ Simon Meyjes - (Human factor in Pilotage and safety of navigation)
Ÿ Anand Karkare - (Benchmarking of Pilot training In india.)
Ÿ Jeff Parfitt - (Analysis of incident for Pilot training and Safety of Navigation)
Ÿ Q/A- 1510 to 1520: Conclusion, Session Valedictory by Moderator
(Questions will be asked on chat)
Ÿ 1520- 1530 Hrs.:Webinar conclusion
Vote of thanks: Rajesh Nambiar Kindly register on:
www.linktr.ee/imei.m
*to be confirmed
 Providing Peek into
Maritime Pilots’ world

INDEX
From President’s Desk
Capt. Gajanan Karanjikar, President- AIMPA .............................................. 02

Readers Views ........................................................................................ 04

Personality of the month

Capt. N. N. Tara ........................................................................................ 07

An Updated Version on Positioning of Pivot Point

Capt. Santosha K. Nayak, Marine Pilot, Krishnapatnam Port ...................... 08

Sailing towards Innovation

Captain Debashis Basu ............................................................................. 11

International Marine pilot platform for information

and knowledge exchange an acute necessity
Mr. Frank Diegel ....................................................................................... 13

The Legacy of a 350 Yr old Pilot Service

Reshma Nilofer, Pilot, Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, India ........................ 15

Fundamentals of pilotage including training, licence & safety

By Capt. M. M. Saggi, Former Nautical Advisor to Govt. of India ................ 19

1000 COMBINATIONS AROUND Which one is correct?

By: Arie Palmers (reg. Pilot) ........................................................................ 24

Editorial Committee: Advisors:

1. Capt Gajanan Karanjikar (President AIMPA) 1. Capt MM Saggi
2. Capt Vivek Bhandarkar 2. Capt Ashok Mahapatra
3. Arie Palmers 3. Capt V K Gupta
4. Ms. Reshma Nilofer 4. Capt Anand Karkare.
5. Capt Debashish Basu 5. Capt Unmesh Abhyankar
Editor
Capt. Manoj Joshi and Bharati Bhandarkar

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Maritime Pilots’ world

From President’s Desk

Capt Gajanan Karanjikar, President- AIMPA

President’s Desk
Capt Gajanan
Capt. Gajanan Karanjikar
Karanjikar
AIMPA's commitment to look after the safety Teaching in Maritime Training Institute is one
and security of Maritime pilots in India has way of reaching out the seafarers, AIMPA also
taken a good shape by creating awareness did the brieng of joining crew in shipping
about the Pilot ladder safety matters and companies. Idea of this training is to show the
reaching to all those who matter. Pilot ladder seafarers other side of the story which is not
safety is not a one-time matter and needs visible to them from deck. The involvement of
continuous attention of those who tend to it. Indian Pilots in this kind of teaching is really
The seriousness about the Pilot ladder needs commendable.
to be percolated till the last man standing
The holistic teaching about Pilot transfer is not
(rigging) that ladder. The pilots have to be
taken up in formal education for the
constantly be on alert while embarking and
candidates at Maritime training institutes and
disembarking. This constant vigilance and act
other courses. That needs to be added in our
of weighing situation that may put their own
syllabuses. Moreover the consequences of
life in danger as it does take a toll on their
pilot or some other ofcials falling off the
state of mind.
ladder are unknown to seafarers at large.
AIMPA promised itself and industry that it will Important that this needs to be explained in
reach to every seafarer through Pilots either to detail.
train on board or in MTIs or through special
On leaps and bounds, the AIMPA's percolation
lectures/ briengs. This is must step to
is increasing so its responsibility radius. We
improve upon the near misses and reduce the
can two things in life as to look at the present
rate of incidences. We still have about 60%
from the past or look at the past from where
pilot ladders as non-compliant.
we are today.

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AIMPA is proud to have covered the ground

but still has a lot more to go. Keeping one eye
on that goal AIMPA is committed to bring as
much reforms for pilots and system
implementation in Pilotage.
There are many subjects AIMPA aspires to
handle in future. Form Pilot training to safety
of navigation in ports. Stay tuned for this
journal and you will see a very valuable inputs
from the industry. AIMPA wishes to run
campaigns for the ports, hold international
webinars and contribute to global pilots'
welfare.
We wish all the Maritime Pilots safe trip and
happy rides on boats as well as on ships.

Capt Gajanan Karanjikar

President- AIMPA
All India Maritime Pilots Association
Email: aimpaof[email protected]

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Readers Views
AIMPA Oct 2020 Issue

Dear Capt. Karanjikar

This is very good – I am enjoying reading about the training, and the
personal comments from Malcolm on his fall are very good to have –
hard to read, but good to have.
For the training, and noting the experiences that Malcolm had, and the
results of the incident investigation, points to training for the full pilot
launch team. The specic comments on trauma training, but also in the
process of boarding and disembarking (the count down the steps to the
deck, for example; procedures for hooking onto the rail; training and
drills for when things go wrong; pilot launch handling for manoeuvring
alongside; etc). In NI SE Australia we have begun looking critically at the
training and qualication of the full pilot boarding team.

Jillian Carson- Jackson I do offer my sincere congratulations on an excellent publication. I am

President Nautical very pleased to see the professionalism and quality of the articles in this
publication. I look forward to further issues, and to following AIMPA as
Institute London.
the organization continues to grow and support pilotage in the region.
Well done!
Regards,
Jillian Carson- Jackson
President Nautical Institute London.

Dear Sir, Good day.

Firstly, would like to compliment you and your team on this initiative. The
bulletin is very informative and educative, as it gives rst hand accounts
by the pilots and other stakeholders, of this extremely important aspect
of trade, without which global trade would almost come to a standstill or
at best, would be severely impacted, with terrible consequences to the
planet, people and prots- the 3 pillars of sustainability.
Secondly, your efforts to actually reach out to the 'common' sailor are
laudable. The rigging, maintenance and upkeep of the pilot ladder is
done by the ships staff and that you are reaching out to training
institutes, like MASSA academy in Navi Mumbai, and companies to
address the people at the front end is commendable. This will not only
Shiv Halbe highlight to them the seriousness of the issue but also assist in saving
CEO, MASSA lives and prevent incidents.
AIMPA has embraced the axiom: Knowledge is the only thing that
increases by sharing!
Well done- keep it up.
Best regards,
Shiv Halbe
CEO, MASSA

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Readers Views
AIMPA Oct 2020 Issue

Good day Captain Karanjikar,

Thank you for your contribution! Your work for the AIMPA and pilots in
general is very impressive. I have posted the article of Troy Evans about
pilot ladder testing on the website, you can preview it via the following
link: https://pilotladdersafety.com/?p=796
Furthermore, as mentioned in the post, the readers of the website can
download a copy of your magazine via the website as well. I will make
reference to this post on social media that is Twitter and Linkedin. Finally,
I have mentioned your Name on the Who's onboard section of the
website.

Herman Broers Perhaps via your members you can raise awareness about the website
Pilotladdersafety.com pilotladdersafety.com, twitteraccount@pilotladdersaf1 or our linkedin
group Pilotladdersafety.
I wish you good sailings,
Keep up the good work, stay healthy and safe,
Best regards,
Herman Broers
Pilotladdersafety.com

Dear Editorial Team,

Thanks for starting a journal for pilot and pilotage issues. It fulls a long
standing need of pilots.
I read Arnie Palmer's article - "1000 Ways to Secure Pilot Ladders" - with
great interest and delight.
The article emphasises in several places that the lower most 4 steps
"shall" be made of rubber.
But the IMO Resolution 1045(27) based on which this assertion is made
Sanjeev Pande, uses the words "may" be made of rubber. I feel this should be corrected.
(17yrs Pilot at various
After all, this article being so detailed and relevant, will be used in
Ports in South Gujarat,
various training talks and programs all over the world!
India)
Best regards,
Sanjeev Pande,
(17yrs Pilot at various Ports in South Gujarat, India)

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Readers Views
AIMPA Oct 2020 Issue

Dear Capt Gajanan

I was very pleased to go through the rst two issues of AMPIA. An Indian
journal for the Marine Pilots in India has been a long felt need of the
profession and was happy that with the initiative taken, at long last a
void has been addressed.
Role and function of a pilot is very critical and challenging. To manoeuvre
a totally unfamiliar vessel in varying weather, Sea/Canal/River conditions
and conned waters every time is a task by itself. Issues of Safety &
security are always prime. During the current pandemic, pilot being rst
onboard a vessel, has its own peril and risks.
Articles in the two issues have been very informative and educative.
Availability of AMPIA platform now to the select fraternity to share their
S. M. Rai experiences and exchange notes for furthering the knowledge is most
opportune and welcome. It would also help in enhancing awareness
among the general public and sea & port ofcials. Am sure AMPIA will
work in that direction.
My best wishes to the team.
Regards,
S. M. Rai

Dear Capt Karanjikar,

All articles are very well articulated. The ow between subsequent
articles is excellently maintained and in such a way that the reader
remains gripped with the content.
One of the most controversial issues worldwide is "Master/ Pilot" relations
and I feel that a small article focussing on that would be highly
appreciated in the shipping industry.
Rgds,
Capt. Pankaj Kapoor.

Capt. Pankaj Kapoor

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Capt. N. N. Tara
How many times have you come across a ofce for proceeding to Haldia. Never in his
Maritime Pilot who is a Bawaji? previous experience he had faced such a situation.
Moreover it was the rst day of his command,
Capt. N. N. Tara belonging to a minority but a
what to do?
very progressive community of India, the Parsi
Community also fondly known as Bawajis. After Should I, shouldn’t I?.
nishing his schooling in Bilaspur, a small town in
Condence took over the fear, Adrenaline was
Chattisgarh province of India. While doing his rst
high but he managed to manoeuvre safely out of
year of engineering he got selected and joined the
the mess. It was then he decided to become a
prestigious T. S. Rajendra in 1976 as a Cadet.
Maritime Pilot. Following his heart, he joined as
Though Capt. Tara’s family was well settled as a
Mumbai Pilot [Bombay Pilot then] in 1988 and
stock broker and was doing good business, still he
subsequently piloted vessels of all sizes and drafts
followed his inner calling of becoming a Sailor
in different parts of the globe from JNPT in India
and this is how a prospective bull became a Pilot.
to Salalah in Oman to Meena Al Fahal in Muscat
It will not be an exaggeration to call him
to Dahej in Gujarat and presently Karaikal in
Dronacharya (the great teacher of ancient India)
Union Territory of Pondicherry. His contribution in
of present time in the eld of Maritime Pilotage.
Mumbai Port during his second stint was worth
Before becoming Pilot he sailed with India
appreciating wherein he single handedly boarded
Steamship Company till he took command of a
a disabled ship after it had collided with another
bulk carrier belonging to Poompuhar Shipping
ship and managed her to anchor safely, thus
Corporation. He recalls, It was his rst day on the
avoiding a major catastrophy. His Piloting carrier
Helm at Tuticorin anchorage, an upcoming port
spreading over three decades makes him one of
down South in India, only to nd his ship
the nest professional who never took piloting as
surrounded by over a dozen other ships anchored
a burden, in his own words “Piloting vessel gives
in vicinity awaiting docking due to labour strike.
me a deep sense of joy and satisfaction, not even
All of a sudden he got an order from his head
for a day I felt I am going for a job, but would
always look forward for another days work”.

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An Updated Version on
Positioning of Pivot Point
Capt. Santosha K. Nayak, Marine Pilot, Krishnapatnam Port

It is at the same point as the longitudinal

centre of gravity of the vessel when vessel is
stopped and making no movement. It starts
moving towards the bow when the vessel
increases her speed. The distance of the PP
from the longitudinal COG varies with the
speed of the vessel.
We can understand the existence of pivot
point mathematically as an imaginary point.
Among all the points in the ship in planar
motion, there is only one point on the
centreline at which the sway and yaw
completely cancel each other, thus making
this point seem to be stationary. All other
points appear to be turning about this point.
This point is the Pivot Point.
Sway means the linear transverse (port to
Capt. Santosha K. Nayak, starboard) motion. This motion is generated
directly either by the water and wind or
Marine Pilot, Krishnapatnam Port currents exerting forces against the hull or by
the ship's own propulsion or indirectly by the
Understanding the fundamentals of the pivot inertia of the ship while turning. Yaw is the
point is highly required for understanding the rotational motion of the vessel about the
alteration of the courses. Pivot point is an vertical axis. If the sway speed and yaw speed
imaginary point on the vessel which turns on are known, the position of the pivot point can
a circular path on the perimeter of vessel's be obtained as the distance from the centre of
turning circle when the vessel makes a turn. mass (GP) using equation:
The knowledge about the position of the pivot
point in a manoeuvring situation provides the V + (GP x ROT) = 0
ship handler with the information on the Where, V(m/s) = Sway Speed;
geometry of motion of the ship. When sway G = Centre of Gravity;
and yaw occur simultaneously, a ship handler P = Pivot Point;
can only perceive the combined effect of drift GP(m) = distance between P and G;
and turn, which gives him a false impression ROT (rad/s) = Yaw Speed.
that only a rotational motion happened about
a certain point on the ship's centreline. This There are some traditional views held by ship
apparent centre is called the Pivot Point of the handlers of the Pivot Point and also mostly
ship. This is a simplied perception of two found in the literature of books on ship
motions down to one motion. manoeuvring.

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These views about pivot point:

• It moves towards the bow or stern
depending on the direction of the
longitudinal motion of the vessel
• When making sternway, the pivot point
moves aft and establishes itself
approximately 1/4L from the stern
• It is the centre of rotation of the vessel
• It has instantaneous movement from the
COG to its position.
There have been many experiments carried
The Starting Position
out to understand the existence of Pivot Point
and how it moves with the motion of the
vessel. There are some new ndings related to
Pivot Point and the some of the traditionally
held views about PP are incorrect. All the
above mentioned views are incorrect. The
corrected facts about PP are:
• It is independent of direction of motion,
• It is only an imaginary point
• It moves gradually towards or away from The Final Position
the COG depending on the application of
forces on the vessel. This experiment conclusively proves that the
traditional TV teachings and leanings about
However, ship handling professionals, the pivot point for centuries are incorrect.
particularly the seasoned practitioners, nd it
very difcult to accept these ndings. Position of Pivot Point as deducted from
the experiment
Verication Experiment to establish the The exact position of the pivot point may be
location of Pivot Point deducted from the following formulae. GP is
the distance of the Pivot Point (P) from the
A verication experiment was done for a longitudinal Centre of Gravity (G).
panamax vessel. The ship's turning force was
provided by setting the engine half astern. GP = - (L2 +B2)/ 12GFr, is a simple equation
The propeller is right handed with xed pitch. for a box shaped vessel
For the purpose of analysis, the whole Where, GP – Distance between the GOG and
experiment was divided into 8 time intervals. PP,
In each interval, the result was analysed Fr – Position of Resultant force on the vessel,
calculating the position of the pivot point as L – Length and B- Breadth of vessel
the average in the interval. The positions are The interpretations of above ndings are
given as percentage lengths between the bow essential knowledge for the ship handlers.
and the pivot point, to the length of the ship. Above equation correlates some practical
The experiment shows plainly that the pivot points which can be used by ship handlers
point was at around 17% of the ship length during manoeuvring of ships are as follows:
from the bow. Near the end of the
experiment, it is obvious that the pier is • The minus (-) sign indicates that the pivot
interfering with the water ow being created point appears on the other side of G from
by the propeller. Fr.

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• A bigger GFr yields a smaller GP, which

means that an external force farther away
from G causes the pivot point to be closer
to G.
• A bigger block coefcient will cause the
pivot point to be closer to the bow.
• The direction of the longitudinal motion is
irrelevant with the pivot point location.
• If the propeller and rudder combination at
the stern is used as the only propulsion
system, the pivot point will always appear
near the bow.

Pivot Point

COG

Point of external force

A B C D
A - Vessel moving ahead,
B - Vessel moving astern,
C - Vessel experiencing external force
D - Vessel being pushed by one tug (In case 2 tugs, the tug applying more force decides).

The pivot point settles down at one point

when the motion of a vessel becomes steady.
All above observations are conrmed by pilots
carrying out manoeuvring regularly on day to
day basis. The understanding of above facts
can be understood very well when vessel is
making an astern movement at a certain
speed aided by the tugs while keeping in a
restricted and narrow channel.

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Sailing towards Innovation

Captain Debashis Basu

My thoughts
It was the same Monday morning in a
different part of the world.
I was on my laptop and had embarked on this
exciting journey of writing an article for the All
India Marine Pilots Association (AIMPA)
journal, which I knew would be circulating the
world.
The obvious question was: What could I
possibly say?
See, I have been a sailor all my life,
commanding some of the biggest giants at
Captain Debashis Basu sea. Yes, I have interacted with Pilots and
worked with them closely for several years
It all started with a few drops, and before you now. But how much do I know of their lives?
knew it, the downpour was torrential! Sparing some memorable conversations with
As the raindrops fell on his beautifully a few Pilots (I distinctly remember one in
manicured lawn, Capt. Alan was sipping on Melbourne Channel and one in Basrah), I
his morning coffee and preparing himself for have never had the privilege to come close to
a rough day. In a few hours, he would have to their lives, to know their challenges and
board the pilot boat, and it will be a rough triggers.
ride. The waters of the bay are never easy on More importantly, why don't I know?
a rainy day; and a choppy sea with a VLCC in
ballast – not a good combination. He knew he After having spent twenty-two years at sea,
could refuse if he felt unsafe, but how unsafe why do I know more about the life of Donald
is unsafe, really? Will it be any safer any other Trump or Lady Gaga than of my fellow Bridge
day? team colleagues whose decisions I trust with
my life? In trying to answer this question there
Plus once he boards the vessel, there is the came a couple of great revelations.
obvious challenge with the visibility. Trafc is
never easy at this time of the year and the Information Gap
Master would have to rely on him entirely, as Try Googling the words: How is the life of a
the expert in the area. Marine Pilot? Just a few relevant hits.
As he kissed his baby girl goodbye and turned Better yet, try Googling: How is the life of
around to leave, in that very moment, years of an Indian Marine Pilot?
experience brought about a strange
condence in him, deep down. No hits this time!
You could see his frown change into a twitch All you nd is information on how to become
of a brief smile as his ride pulled in, right on one, and a few incidents involving Pilots. The
time. lives of the Marine pilots remain obscure since

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there are just so few platforms where they are along the coastline are just a few of the
being discussed! features we can incorporate into your
handheld device. It then extends into several
To its credit, this journal seems to be a bold
other areas reducing paperwork and
step in the right direction in trying to mend
enhancing ease of operation.
that. In today's day and age, there is no
excuse not to share our thoughts, not to stay But that is not all. Through our future plans
connected and not to share solutions within we also intend to bring out the human
each other. Kudos to the founders of AIMPA element of a Pilot by incorporating and
on such a great move! encouraging participation across the world,
not just professionally, but on a personal level
Technology to the rescue as well.

We can dream big. Remember Capt. Alan who was about to

board the VLCC in choppy weather, and how
There is one other thing I think I can talk his frown turned into a smile as he left home?
about, and that is innovation and technology. Can we be the conduit and capture that
It has been a few years that I have been moment in time to show the world how
working on several proprietary software concern translates to condence?
instruments to ease off the burden of a
seafarer. By extension, I have seen what If I am being discreet and gurative for now, it
technology and its judicious use can do to any is on purpose. The future is perhaps best left
profession and how it can make life easier. to the imagination. Let's just say if you can
think it, it can be done! It is for us to provide
External comfort has grown over the years. the platform, and for everyone else to come
Your smartphone has already replaced your forward and participate!
telephone directory, your ability to x up a
time two days in advance to meet someone at Connecting the dots
a certain place, your ability to remember
7.8 Billion people occupy roughly a third of
directions, the baby sitter, the old metal alarm
this crowded earth, and WE occupy the rest!
clock, the need to cook at home or hail a cab
with outstretched arms! We, the occupants of the sea, Sailors, Pilots,
with our small operating crew are a very
You have all that, and more at your ngertips
closed tribe from various ethnicities and
now. Your mobile phone has more computing
cultures with very similar challenges and
power than all of NASA combined when they
needs. It is only natural that we know and
put people on the moon. Technology has
understand each other. We have remained as
entered every part of our lives in all shapes
isolated dots, often feeling left out and
and forms and merged into us entirely.
deriving solutions to our problems by
ourselves.
Our vision
Thanks to the present day and age, we now
A few months back we were entrusted to can connect these dots to complete the
create a prototype app for the use of Indian picture! It's long overdue.
Marine Pilots. Earlier last month we circulated
the basic version of the AIMPA App for a beta
test. The Founder Partner of Navguide Solutions &
Creator of Guide2Inspections™, a proprietary
This app can transform the landscape for process for Ship-inspections. VLCC Master;
Indian Pilots. Real-time reporting on ship's Author; Blogger; Member of the AIMPA
conditions, non-conformities, and general Editorial Board; The Nautical Institute and
conrmation of movement of various pilots Company of Master Mariners; SIRE and PSC
Inspections Trainer.

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International Marine pilot platform for information

and knowledge exchange an acute necessity
Mr. Frank Diegel

last corner of the world. News streams in

social media channels such as Twitter,
LinkedIn, Facebook and others are often up to
date and fast, but the information is usually
neither edited nor checked for truthfulness.
Therefore the information "runs" through the
news stream and after a few hours it has
disappeared from the visible area and is
therefore lost. The information does not
remain there permanently. The common
maritime online magazines only have a very
small amount of pilot-specic content.
The importance of exchange of information
within Marine Pilots and their connected
ofces cannot be overemphasised. The world
data on Marine Pilot is very scanty and the
pilotage activity is also quite fragmented. The
silos of Pilotage operations contained within
port, are stand alone and hardly any
incidences, near misses are shared with
outside world. Hence the learnings from near
misses are not captured and percolated
Mr. Frank Diegel outside the port for others to learn from
someone else's mistakes.
A Marine pilot would like to obtain
information and further training on specic If you study the trend in the pilotage accident,
topics, would like to be informed promptly you will see a repetition of the same mistakes
about current news and events and would like and so are the defects on board wrt Pilot
to exchange experiences and opinions with ladders. There is immense need to curb this
colleagues, not only from within his own and collect various near misses as well as
organisation, but also across national and Incident reports so that we have ample data
organisational borders. I for one, would like to analyse the things and this also can be
to nd everything in ONE place. shared across countries, MOUs and other
organisations.
The existing national and international
structures, social media channels or the well- Therefore, more than a year ago, I decided to
known maritime publications cannot meet all found my own pilot portal with Marine-
of the above needs. Large pilot organisations, Pilots.com, which aggregates the many
for example, have a rather political mission individual information islands on the internet
and are not a maritime online magazine that and can serve as a central source of
reports daily about this and that down to the information for pilots. As a rst step, our team

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has tried to "measure" the international pilot themselves and are almost always truly
world, whether non-prot or commercially unique content! The articles are discussed by
organised, in its entirety and to record and the large community and the content is further
make visible as many organisations and distributed. Unlike social media, however, this
companies offering pilot services as possible. information remains available in the long
To date we have collected more than 600 term, thus creating an ever-growing library of
proles from 120 countries around the world. expertise and information for the world of
We welcome any feedback, which will further pilots.
complete this database for pilots. A
Marine-Pilots.com is celebrating its rst
tremendous Sisyphean task!
birthday these days and we are surprised by
Central part of the portal is the collection of the very positive feedback. We have achieved
pilot-specic content, be it articles, news or great relevance and acceptance in a short
even videos. All sorted by topicality and period of time and are used by many pilots to
topics. Individual pilots have the opportunity inform about their job. Only with the
to publish their opinions, experience and participation of the individual pilot in the
expertise in articles and make them available large pilot community the amount of
to a wide audience. A large part of the information continues to grow. I hereby invite
specialist articles come from the pilots everyone to participate!

About the author Mr. Frank Diegel

Frank Diegel is 52 years old and has studied computer science.
For almost 10 years he has been developing hard- and
software especially for pilots. The topic of digitalisation in
shipping is his great passion.

Note from AIMPA President Capt. Gajanan Karanjikar

Very well elaborated Frank, we need to have that platform urgently
and AIMPA is proud of the work Marine-Pilots.com is doing. The
sharing of knowledge has no longer remained a virtue but is
denitely a necessity in today's times of advanced technology. We
need to have collective efforts on this from all organisations like
CHIRP etc that are doing fantastic job for Maritime safety. AIMPA is
also poised to take Indian Port Harbour front matters and safety of
Navigation under its ambit to enhance and contribute to marine
pilots, persons and port safety.

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The Legacy of a 350 Yr old Pilot Service

Reshma Nilofer, Pilot, Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, India

was envisioned way before the town itself

became the hub around which people would
settle.
The Kolkata Port Trust now renamed as Syama
Prasad Mukherjee Port actually evolved from
the Calcutta Port Commissioners. And the
Calcutta Port Commissioners evolved from
and around shipping and trade in the then
Capital of India, Calcutta and the body of
Pilots, the erstwhile British 'Bengal Pilot
Service' on this River Hooghly. The earliest to
reach this river shores and to set up
commercial settlements in Bengal were the
Portuguese (1537) followed by the Dutch
(1645). Around trade, emerged a robust
shipping hub - the Town of Hooghly and then
came the East India Company. The rest of the
East India Company's maraud is well
documented history. The eventuality of the
shipping movement was that, despite
Reshma Nilofer compensations and extra monetary benets
It is indeed a blessing and pleasure to be extended to Captains of ships coming up the
living in the times and be a miniscule part of a river, they refused to be persuaded to bring up
Pilot Service that turned a Glorious 350 yrs ships through the river owing to tremendous
Old, July of 2019 and turned a Landmark difculties due to the treacherous river
Service of expert navigators of this country. passage, fearsome bends, restricted depth,
The milestone is yet another under-rated
occurrence where the Service has stood the
test of time, working through the various
challenges, wars, Freedom, different
administrators, perspectives and demands of
changing times like incorporating the newer
and dynamic technological advancements and
been the turning point for welcoming and
embracing the expansions and newer
sophisticated Port and facilities provided to the
users and stakeholders alike.
Kolkata has now grown to become India's
third populous city and commercial Kolkata Port Trust has recently been christened
headquarters of sorts for the hinterland but after Dr. Syama Prasad Mukherjee, on 12th
did you know that it all started centuries back January 2020 during its 150th year celebration,
from the Port of Calcutta! Yes, Calcutta Port by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

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 Providing Peek into
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narrow channel, gushing tides and ever In their early days, the Bengal Pilots were
shifting sandbars in the river (The three B's - drawing wages many times that of Captains
Bars, Bends and Bores). The tidal range is as of Ships. No person on the ship below the
high as 6.5 metres and current over 8 knots rank of a Colonel or an Ofcer other than a
on Perigee Spring tides. The bore tides — the Senior Captain dared to address them. Soon
incoming ood tide rushing and gushing when Queen Victoria took over the
inland like a tidal wave of immense strength Government of India in 1858, the Service
are a dreaded phenomenon seen in few became a covenanted service of the British
navigable waters of the world. Swinging a crown and recruitments had to meet the
fairly large feeder vessel or a low approval of the Viceroy of India'. Rudyard
powered sluggish Tanker also in Kipling and Conrad mentioned them in
restricted channel, is not an easy task. On rapturous terms.
the insistence of the Captains of the East
“Almost any pilot will tell you that his
Indiamen, the Directors of the East India
work is more difcult than you imagine,
Company agreed to bring a few
but the pilots of the Hooghly know that
meritorious ofcers who belonged to the
they have 100 miles of the most difcult
Cinque Ports station and train them as
river on earth running through their
Pilots for the river Hooghly. (Cinque Ports
hands and they say nothing.„ " - Kipling.
station was the then best-known Pilot
Station in all of England). Thus, Today the Calcutta-Hooghly Pilot Service
originated the Bengal Pilot Service when ofcers no longer draw salaries so high, and
the Governor of Bengal, when are neither a Crown Service nor gazetted
approached by the East India Company, ofcers of India. However, the pride has
formally granted permission on July of remained immaculate, been passed down the
1669. Documented evidence suggests that generations and remains contagious
the elite ofcers on seven years spreading to the youngest of Pilots. We still
apprenticeship were George Heron, James have some of the little rituals inherited from
White, Thomas Massen, James Ferborne, John the British intact, like our uniforms we wear
Foyd and Thomas Bateman. Among them with pride. Some lucky ships may even today,
George Heron was the rst Englishman to be get to spot or get the advice from a Sikh Pilot
a trained Hooghly Pilot to bring in and take with a erce moustache and beard who wears
out "Falcon" (380 tonnes, Captain Stafford) in a starched crisp white turban with the emblem
1679. However, the rst East Indiaman to sail attached at the peak of the turban!
up the river was Samuel Hacon. He was
The system of picking junior ofcers and
among the rst local-expert Englishmen to be
training them to groom them into pilots is
trained by the last and departing Portuguese
centuries old. As early as 1877, British cadets
Pilots and had brought up the river,
who were the most meritorious were picked
"Rebeccah" (170 Tonnes, Captain James
out from British training ships (Worcester &
Mariner) in July 1672 itself. Today we have a
Conway) and inducted into the Bengal Pilot
dedicated River Hydrographic Survey Service
Service. The practice was rarely exempted and
but then, George Heron also took credit for
then Indian 2nd Mates Licence holders were
sounding and preparing the navigational
also taken. When 'Indianizing the service'
chart for the river passage and issuing the
eventually started in 1931, Mr D.J.Daniel, the
Sailing Directions!
rst Indian ofcer was recruited in 1931 and
Being masters of the craft and having a retired in 1967 as the last Port Pilotage
noteworthy safe Pilotage record through the Ofcer. In 1932 Capt. B.S. Pavri and Dotival
centuries, our Pilot Service has always joined service and Capt. B.S.Pavri retired as
possessed great pride and prestige. the Harbour Master, River. In 1933, another 7

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 Providing Peek into
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trainees were recruited and ex-Dufferin cadets rst of a kind Vessel Trafc Monitoring System
continued to enter until all recruitment was for effective and safe guidance of ships from
deferred in 1942 until 1945 due to the war Sandheads to Haldia with radar surveillance.
years. 1945 onwards, the earlier system of The system was operational in April 1996.
direct recruitment of the *cream' — The Extra Further, for the requirement of ISPS code and
First-Class candidates directly from the training also for maintaining a back up to the VTMS
ships came back, only, this time from Indian system, a stand-alone VTS with Automatic
training ships. Nevertheless, each one of them Identication System (AIS) facility was
then and now, continue to prove worthy of established at the Saugor pilot station in May
being called the descendants of the Finest Pilots 2005. Eventually the VTMS and Saugor VTS
of the World and of pilots like George Heron have led to the reduction in the distance of
and D.J. Daniel. pilotage hours, allowed the use of a smaller
Pilot Vessel Ma Ganga off Sagar Island where
India's Independence in 1947 and the Bengal
the River Pilot actually gets onboard and had
partition ushered another chapter of the service.
allowed for pilots to board ships in sheltered
The 280-year-old service (The last 90 as a waters. Nevertheless, the Haldia VTMS
service of the Crown), now had to be renamed monitoring ships coming up the channel,
from Bengal Pilot Service to Hooghly Pilot continue to be manned by the pilots
Service and was handed over to the Chairman themselves in order to guide ships through the
of Calcutta Port Commissioners, 15th of May, critical and narrower 'bars' on their way into
1948. In 1964 again the service had a new the Pilotage waters. When the whole country
nomenclature as the Calcutta Pilot Service after was just getting glimpses about VTMS, Ko.P.T.
the amalgamation of the river and port sections and these Pilots worked in harmony to
of the operational services. actually carry out remote guidance of ships
coming up and down stream through the
Khidirpur dock ages back to 1892 and Khidirpur
channel.
dock Il completed in 1902. Pontoon oil jetties of
Budge Budge was commissioned in 1896. The Further to the above, the recent years have
Garden Reach jetties came up in 1925. The seen newer navigational aids installed in the
Erstwhile King George's Dock which was river, additional laptop aids provided for
commissioned in 1928 is now the Netaji pilots, Channel navigable widths have
Subhash Dock (1973). In 1967-68, Haldia Dock dwindled, dredging expenditures gone down,
complex was planned and commissioned for night navigation started for a few less-critical
International Trade in 1977 with yet another areas and berths, mobile harbour cranes
impounded dock system with 12 berths and 3 revolutionized the cargo handling speeds and
oil jetties came up one after the other starting reduced port stays, allowing more trafc in
from 1968. Most recent development was the and out of the port and faster at it. At the time
opening of Eden Channel (Western Channel) for of writing this article, there are so many trial-
all inward ships to Haldia. basis berthing and manoeuvres being
cautiously and diligently planned & carried
Kolkata Port Trust then used two Pilot Vessels
out by the pilots in the newer Outer Moorings
Sagad and 'Samudra' at Sandheads, which were
at Haldia, standing proof of the dedicated
MS Class (Seagoing Vessels) for the Pilots to be
service. The Corona Virus of 2020 has
stationed at, between movements and when
brought to light to the human-kind the
they had served their prime, replacing them
importance of the various legs of the supply
with Pilot Vessels of such calibre was expensive
chains which feed the peoples of the World.
and difcult.
These River Pilots probably make up the least
Over the next 50 years, Kolkata Port Trust was a recognized sect of the supply chain, tirelessly
Pioneer of its kind in India bringing about the working through the Global COVID 19

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 Providing Peek into
Maritime Pilots’ world

Pandemic. Even during the time of lockdown,

the port shows record cargo handled gures References, Excerpts and Further Reading:
which in turn reects on the amount of
*Memories on Pilotage - R.E.Mistry
manpower that went into it, of which Pilots
have played a major pivotal role. The River *And Quite ows the Hooghly - H.S.Sarkar
Pilots need to often put themselves through *Three Hundred Years of Bengal, Hooghly and Calcutta
an endurance test of piloting 78 Nautical Pilot Service - A.S. Nayyar, Branch Pilot
miles in and out on slow ships and expose *Hazards of the Hooghly - Duncan Linklater (in his
themselves to crew from around the world efforts to retrace the footsteps of his
even before the Health ofcials can board the ancestor, a Hooghly Pilot Capt. Arthur Duncan Linklater
ship after she is placed well into the docks. was a pilot [ca.1910-15.]
Sometimes this could take up to 12 hrs of pilot His memoirs available online:
onboard!
https://www.quivis.uk/dum/hooghly/index_hooghly.html
It is hence evident that the Pilots have so *A few titbits of information from Capt B. Pakrashi
gracefully evolved with the growing demands (retd.HarbourMaster,Port)and Capt Ravi
of the modernizations and technological Nijjer, Australia(had a brief stint at the Hydrographic
advancements and embraced the Survey Service in 1962)
development goals laid out to them. I am *OLDCONWAYS&INDIA–PARTII:CALCUTTA&THEHOOG
proud to be a part of such a noble service HLYv11-Copyright©2017Ale
which has not only stood the test of time and Windsor,al[email protected]
demands but also kept intact, the glory of a
*‘GreatRiversoftheWorld’-
350-year service, the Artistry and Mastery of PeterCrookstonin'TheObserver'-
the Lineage. coloursupplement13June

PM names Kolkata Port Trust

after Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee

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 Providing Peek into
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Fundamentals of pilotage
including training, licence & safety
By Capt. M. M. Saggi, Former Nautical Advisor to Govt. of India

Similarly, pilot gives the rst-person account

of ship, it's crew and condition of the vessel to
the port and port state, based on which risk
assessment is made and further measures are
initiated to ensure port safety at ship's cost
and Port State intervention, if required.
Accordingly, it is also in the best commercial
interest of ship to ensure that it puts it's best
foot forward for safety of pilot during
embarkation and disembarkation, safe
navigation during pilotage and obviate
avoidable inspection, delays and cost to
vessel. Pilot plays a pivotal role in ensuring,
not only the safety of ship but more
importantly that of the port, channel, berths,
equipment and other vessels in vicinity. This is
the reason why pilotage has been made
mandatory by authorities in almost all narrow
waters and ports under their jurisdiction.
Signicance of Master Pilot Exchange:
Capt. M. M. Saggi Pilot navigates the ship under over all
command of the master. Master is quite
Introduction: competent to manoeuvre and navigate his
Purpose of this article is to share the ship but he does not have the in-depth local
fundamentals of pilotage, signicance of pilot knowledge about depths, tides, currents,
in port operation and other pilotage areas, trafc and other hazards in the congested
importance of pilot training & licence, relevant pilotage waters. Pilot is expected to have in
training of concerned seafarers to ensure depth knowledge of all local conditions and
safety of pilots, a slight tweaking of requirements and hence is in a much better
regulations to ensure safer embarkation position to communicate with port authorities,
arrangement and an indicative way forward tugs and linesman. Similarly, while the pilot
to achieve these objectives. has detailed navigational knowledge about
Importance of pilot: port, he is not familiar with ship, it's engines,
Pilot is akin to an ambassador of the port. He steering, navigational, communication
is the rst person to board an incoming ship. equipment and other peculiarities or
Ship's master and crew form their opinion limitations. Hence it is essential that master
about the port and port state based on this and pilot exchange all relevant information
rst impression. Every pilot needs to be about navigation in pilotage area,
conscious of this onerous responsibility. immediately after boarding, to efciently
safely discharge their assigned
responsibilities.

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 Providing Peek into
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Pilotage area and trafc control: licence a pilot. This process can be reduced
Mandatory pilotage area is indicated in port, substantially by use of simulators for training.
canal or narrow water entry requirements. Simulators need to simulate ships of different
Accordingly, pilotage pick up and drop types in different condition of loading and
locations need to be clearly marked on chart trim. Additionally, the simulator must also
at the entrance. It is quite possible that in recreate realistic pilotage area back ground,
certain circumstances, pilot may not be able channel, navigational marks and trafc etc in
to board or disembark in assigned location. In various conditions of light, visibility, rain, tides,
such circumstances, adequate guidance needs currents and wind force etc.
to be given to ships by the trafc control, so
Pilotage endorsement:
that safety of navigation is not compromised.
Normally a pilotage licence is endorsed for
At times the ship master may be unclear
pilotage in certain limits within stated pilotage
about pilotage area instructions. In such
jurisdiction. There needs to be specic
circumstances, master is encouraged to
guidance about entry qualication
contact trafc control on assigned channel to
requirement for pilots, process of training,
seek further guidance. It is essential that
assessment and issuance of pilotage licence. If
trafc control keeps a close watch on all trafc
a pilot has already acquired ship handling
within its jurisdiction and cautions the masters
skills and local knowledge to earn his licence
or pilots if any potentially dangerous situation
for a mentioned pilotage jurisdiction and
is developing. It is reiterated that trafc
desires to have a pilotage endorsement for
control needs to be conscious at all times that
some other pilotage area, he needs to be
safety and environmental protection of
retrained and reassessed only in the local
concerned area is intrinsically linked with
knowledge aspects prior to issuance of
those of the ships navigating in its jurisdiction.
endorsement for that port. For the purposes of
Besides ship, the Port and port state too may
endorsement, requisite training can be
have to pay a heavy price in terms of blocked
imparted using a combination of simulators,
channel, pollution and lost revenue if a
class room and hands on training. Final
navigational error is allowed to be committed
endorsement can be issued by competent
by a ship under its control. It is best if port
authority based on assessment carried out by
trafc control is supervised by experienced
designated examiners having requisite
pilots 24X7. Ideally the pilots who are not
experience in the mentioned pilotage area.
physically t to board the vessel but otherwise
mentally alert and experienced in the Standards of pilot training and licence:
concerned jurisdiction are most suited for port It is quite common for a pilot from one
control assignments. In addition, the trafc jurisdiction to seek pilotage licence for other
controllers need to be suitably trained and location in the same country or even other
certied for relevant Vessel Trafc shores. There is also a perennial shortage of
Management Courses. pilots, in almost all pilotage areas, due to
extensive training and tness required for the
Pilot training:
job. Hence it is essential that as far as
Pilots need to be competent and familiar not
possible, common standards of training and
only with concerned pilotage jurisdiction, its
certication of pilots is followed for all
support and communication systems but also
jurisdiction within the country. There is an
with different types of ship and their
urgent need to also harmonise the Standards
navigation and communication equipment
of Training and Certication (STC) for pilots
including limitations if any. This calls for
internationally in line with STCW requirements
extensive training. Primarily pilot training has
stipulated for seafarers. These requirements
two basic components. Ship handling and
can be generic. Endorsement for a particular
local knowledge. It takes years to train and
pilotage jurisdiction can be issued in a

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manner similar to specic ship type safety equipment is not mandated for pilot
endorsement to seafarers that is after ladders. Licencing of manufacture of pilot
prescribed service, training and assessment. It ladder and pilot transfer arrangement by
is advisable to write the training standards in maritime administration, would ensure that
detail on the back of licence issued, so that pilot ladder and pilot transfer arrangements
authorities in other jurisdiction can decide the are indeed meeting the SOLAS requirement
extent of augmentation in re-training and and same is veried at the time initial
issuance of pilotage licence for the new area procurement and installation and during each
besides local knowledge. To give more safety equipment survey. Inspection of pilot
credibility to pilotage licence, it may be ladder and demonstration of correctly rigging
prudent if same is issued by maritime the pilot ladder and transfer arrangement
administration rather than port or local need to be made a mandatory part of every
authority. It is also advisable to issue the safety equipment survey. This can be further
licence in STCW format with requisite strengthened by unscheduled Port and Flag
modication, only to the extent essential for state inspections.
pilotage certication. Like a seaman book or
Indicative pilotage training and licencing
Continuous Discharge Certicate, it is best if
procedure:
all jobs carried out by the pilot are recorded in
his pilot book. These measures will enhance a. Standards of pilotage Training and
the employment prospects of pilots nationally Certication (SPTC): These need to
and internationally. Such service records will established in consultation with senior
also make their absorption easier for other pilots. The standards would require
pilotage jurisdictions. competency in various functions at different
levels.
Training for emergency response:
A vessel may run aground, cause pollution or b. Functions: Functions may include:
even be wrecked in pilotage area. It is
i. Coastal Navigation:
essential that senior pilots holding
1. Radar and ARPA
management position such as harbour master,
2. GPS
dock master and conservators etc are
3. ECDIS
conversant with all relevant International
4. AIS
Maritime Organisation (IMO) Conventions
5. NAVAIDS on coast and in port,
and local laws related to prevention, response
6. Vessel Trafc Systems etc.
and compensation regarding safety, security
and environment protection. ii. Ship handling
1. Rules of the road
Pilot ladder:
2. Manoeuvring in narrow, shallow
Every safety equipment has to be approved by
and congested waters
maritime admiration. A Maritime
3. Pivot point
administration can also accept safety
4. Transverse thrust
equipment approved by other administration.
5. Bow thrusters
For approval, prototype needs to meet
6. Different types of rudders /
performance standard. Pilot ladder and pilot
propellers
transfer arrangement already forms part of
7. Trim and list effect
the ship's safety equipment. However, for pilot
8. Under keel clearance, squat and
ladder, a manufacturer certicate stating that
other shallow water effects
it meets prescribed Safety of Life at Sea
9. Anchoring
(SOLAS) Convention requirement sufces at
10. Tides and currents
present. Specic approval by maritime
11. Wind, wave height and weather
administrations, as applicable for most other

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12. Berthing / unberthing with and pilotage with master and bridge team
without tugs and respecting master's authority while
13. Dynamic Positioning Vessels etc having full control of navigation of the
vessel during pilotage.
iii. Communication:
1. VHF c. Level: Levels may include basic pilotage,
2. NAVTEXT full tonnage pilot and management level
3. Flags, signals
d. Induction: There can be various induction
4. DSC
streams for pilotage training e.g.:
iv. Seaman ship: i. A master mariner,
1. Personal safety including life ii. An ex naval ofcer,
jackets, helmet, locating devices iii. A nautical ofcer after operational or
2. Pilot ladder and embarkation management level certication
arrangements iv. A nautical ofcer after completing pre
3. Ship types, construction, stability, sea training
especially when aground v. A fresh graduate without any maritime
4. Pilot vessel manning, safe design, training.
safety equipment, rst aid,
e. Orientation: Depending on the induction
communication, seeking lee, safe
stream and competencies required for
transfer & rescue
pilotage licence, gaps needs to be
v. Local Knowledge: identied and lled in, using structured
1. Pilot boarding ground, pilot vessel training such as pre sea, hands on,
capability, tugs & linesmen simulator based training and class room
2. Anchorages, Channel, berths, training followed by a comprehensive
moorings, trafc, permitted speed, written, orals and simulator-based
under keel clearance assessment for generic pilotage
3. Local tides, currants, winds and competencies and local knowledge.
weather conditions
f. Modular training: A pilot may also be
4. Communication protocols
required to undergo four basic courses as
5. Vessel Trafc Management Systems
prescribed for seafarers.
etc
Training of seafarers involved in Pilot
vi. Legal Knowledge:
boarding:
1. IMO conventions,
2. National laws and other All seafarers associated with pilot
commercial laws, especially wrt embarkation and disembarkation need to be
safety of navigation, port safety familiar with pilot ladder construction rules,
and security, limitations of liability, pilot embarkation rules and precaution for
pollution response, salvage, wreck rigging the pilot ladder and embarkation
removal and compensation, hull arrangement for their level of competence.
machinery and third party liability Management level ofcers may be specically
insurance for ship, safe port, port trained to provide lee to pilot vessel and
insurance, port liabilities, Marine correct use of engines and maintain ship
Environment Protection, Search heading at slow speed over water without
Rescue and Loadline etc. endangering pilot vessel or the pilot who may
have fallen in the water.
vii. Soft skills: Tact in dealing with master
and bridge team, professional conduct,
exchanging information, planning

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Pilotage awareness & hazards associated Induction of Near Coastal Vessel (NCV)
to Port & ministry ofcials: and Inland Vessel (IV) certicate holders
as pilots:
Senior ofcials of the port and ministry, not
having maritime background need to be NCV and small vessels and IV vessels can be
apprised about importance of pilots for safety piloted by suitably trained and qualied NCV
of ship and port, hazards associated with the and IV masters.
profession, signicance of pilot training,
necessity of suitable compensation and
additional insurance to attract and retain
talent.

Conclusion:
• Pilotage is a necessity not only for safety of ship but also for safety of
port, channel and other pilotage areas.
• Pilotage training needs to be structured and prescribed depending on
the induction level.
• Pilotage training and certication needs be harmonised at national level
and in due course internationally.
• In Pilotage licence, there needs to be a provision for local area
endorsement so that pilots having licence for one jurisdiction can be
safely and efciently licenced to pilot vessels in other jurisdictions.
• Pilot experience may be recorded in their service book mentioning
various tasks performed on different type and sizes of vessel in different
jurisdictions, in various conditions of light, visibility and weather.
• It is in larger interest of the all ports, calling ships, Port States, pilotage
jurisdictions and pilots to reform and harmonise pilot training,
certication and improve pilot safety.

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1000 COMBINATIONS AROUND

Which one is correct?
By: Arie Palmers (reg. Pilot)

Introduction

Dear reader,
Before you, you see my third article on pilot
boarding arrangements. After my two
previous articles ('1000 ways to secure a pilot
ladder' and '1000 ladders around', I have
received a lot of feedback and also questions
to get deeper into the matter of combinations
and embarkation platforms.
Since the last two articles were published a lot
has happened, more and more shipping
companies as well as pilot associations
worldwide are getting more aware of pilot Non-compliant embarkation platform
boarding safety issues and the way to get pilot
boarding arrangements safe and compliant. (courtesy of #dangerousladders)
As you might know, sometimes it is a very
easy x. with pictures out of my own database and
from the database of facebook's
Concerning embarkation platforms… to get "dangerousladders".
them compliant it often takes more effort:
some constructional features must be In this article names of shipping
changed; class agencies will have to approve companies/ships and manufacturers will only
etc. etc. but the costs to get it right will not be be displayed for educational purposes, it's not
that high.. In this next article I would like to my goal to favor or bash around any
show you the rights and wrongs of these pilot company.
boarding arrangements and what can be Hope you will enjoy reading this article!!
done to make them compliant as easy as
possible.
In the next chapters we will also, as in the
previous articles, get into the rules and I'll try
to explain as good as possible what is correct
and what is not correct, of course illustrated

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When to rig a combination or a single pilot ladder?

Some vessels present themselves with a single safe and convenient means, whenever the
rigged pilot ladder and some vessels present distance from the surface of the water to the
themselves with a combination, or point of access to the ship is more than 9m.
embarkation platform. Of course, there is a These simple rules tell us when the distance
reason for these two different types of pilot from the water to the pilot entry point is under
boarding arrangements and in this chapter, I 9 m you can rig a single pilot ladder and
will explain why these two arrangements exist. when the distance is more, a combination
must be used…
In SOLAS ch. V reg. 23 it is stated when to rig
a normal pilot ladder and when to rig a In this photo of a pilot ladder, you can
combination: basically see in one glimpse that in this case
the vessel should have rigged a combination
3.3.1: a pilot ladder requiring a climb of not
rather than a single pilot ladder or should
less than 1.5m and not more than 9m above
have increased its draught. Wonder why? Let
the surface of the water…….
me explain. Right next to the rigged pilot
3.3.2: an accommodation ladder in ladder you can see a white and red gure
conjunction with the pilot ladder (i.e. a displayed on the hull. This is what we call the
combination arrangement) or other equally pilot mark. My good friend and co-author,
deepsea pilot Kevin Vallance has written an
interesting article on the origins of the pilot
mark, you can nd it online by following this
next link:
https://www.marine-pilots.com/article/13336.
Basically, this pilot mark displays exactly
where the nine-meter mark is on this vessel.
Exactly at the dividing line between the upper
and lower half's of the pilot mark is the point
of 9 meters above the water surface. Again,
this has nothing to do with freeboard:
maximum climb from water level to entry
point shall not exceed nine meters.
Unfortunately, in the well-known pilot ladder
poster this has been displayed incorrectly as
you can see in the photo below which is a
small piece of the pilot ladder poster
In this part of the pilot ladder poster there is
mentioned that the maximum climb shall not
exceed 9 meters, which is not correct as we
know now. This would mean that when a pilot
boat for example requests the ladder to be
rigged at a height of 8 m above the water,
you would be allowed to climb an additional 9
meters on top of that.
Non-compliant pba

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Maritime Pilots’ world

correct!! When you drop to the earth your

acceleration will be 9,81 m/s2 until you have
reached maximum velocity. In the table below
you will nd some examples of falling from
different heights and I assumed the weight of
the person falling of 80 kg.
Heights in m Speed in km/h
1 15,94
2 22,54
3 27,61
4 31,88
5 35,64
6 39,04
7 42,17
8 45,08
9 47,81
10 50,4
15 61,73
20 71,28

This table shows exactly what will happen to

you, dropping from different heights, even
dropping from a height of only 3 meters can
really ruin your day, but as starting point
scientists concluded that should you fall from
a height of more than 9 meters you will most
surely sustain fatal injuries. Again the 9 m is
vital! Falling from lesser heights can cause
very serious injuries but you should be able to
survive as they state.
Back to the pilot mark. We know already that
the separation of the white and red indicate
Again, can't repeat is often enough, maximum the 9 meter mark, some vessels and
height for a single pilot ladder shall not shipbuilders however still seem to think the
exceed 9 meters from water surface to pilot pilot mark is merely an indication for the pilot
access point. It all has to do with the boat where the ladder is situated, but as we
acceleration should you fall from the ladder, know now this is not the case. In the photo
after all we climb unsecured, so this must be above we see a pilot mark that has been put

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Maritime Pilots’ world

at the wrong position, probably someone

thought is was a good idea to have one here,
maybe because it looks good. This vessel,
looking at her draught and height from keel
to deck, it doesn't even need to have one.
Having a pilot mark displayed on the correct
position of the ship is a very good asset and
the approaching pilot launch can very easily
asses whether the single pilot ladder is the
correct pba or a combination should have
been rigged.
distance water- pilot door exceeds 9m
In the photo on the previous page we see a
vessel which has at least a distance from the 2 meters past the platform (IMO A.1045 3.6:
water surface to the pilot door of 11m, …… and should extend at least 2 m above
presenting itself with a single pilot ladder. We the lower platform.) and that's not the case
have seen this is an absolute no go. The here. The drawing below, which is a section of
ladder on its own already has a length of the pilot ladder poster shows how this setup
approximately 9,6 meters at least plus the should be done correctly.
requested rigging height above the water to
get the pilot tender alongside safely, which is
2 meters in the region where I work. Vessels
tted with a pilot door usually have no means
to rig a combination. What the vessel should
have done, was ballasting till an acceptable
height of the pilot door above the water has
been obtained, meaning: less than 9 meters.
On top of that we know from one of my
previous articles that the ladder has to be
secured to the ships hull at 1.5 meters above
the platform (SOLAS ch.V V reg 23 3.3.2.1),
which has been done as you can see but also
(there's always a but…) the ladder should run

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 Providing Peek into
Maritime Pilots’ world

Another incorrectly positioned pilot mark

Combination arrangement

In the previous chapter we have seen when a

single pilot ladder can be rigged and when a
combination must be rigged. In another
section of this article, we'll discuss a different
type of combination: the embarkation
platform. In this section we'll focus on the so-
called standard combination arrangement.

Section of the pilot ladder poster

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 Providing Peek into
Maritime Pilots’ world

Here we again see a part of the pilot ladder This photo shows us a few wrongs in this
poster, showing us a drawing of how the combination: the ladder is not secured 1.5 m
combination should be rigged. Some pilots above the platform but at about 60cm. You
demand a guy to assist on the platform, as is might think: so what?? Who cares?? Well I do
displayed on the poster, but since this poster of course. When the ladder has been secured
and IMO A. 1045(27) are recommendations, at a point to close to the platform, it will
it is not mandatory for any crewmember to obstruct your access to the ship. Worst cases
stand on the platform. Looking at the picture would be losing your grip an falling back to
we can see the assisting responsible ofcer is the pilot launch (seriously injured) or into the
wearing a life jacket but is not secured in any water (seriously injured and wet).
way by means of a safety harness. Dangerous
The horizontal distance from the pilot ladder
practice to stand on a small platform (width at
to the platform looks all right. Of course there
least 600 mm, same as the accommodation
is a rule for that as well. IMO A. 1045(27) tells
ladder: IMO A.1045(27) 3.2) without being
us: the horizontal distance between the pilot
secured, especially in adverse weather
ladder and the lower platform should be
conditions… And as far as I am concerned, he
between 0,1 and 0,2 m. Well, this makes
could hamper the stepping over from ladder
sense: just a small sideway step from ladder
to platform. Anyway, I suppose the color of his
to platform, after all we are no acrobats. Big
coveralls is optional and free of choice…….
distances from ladder to platform can easily
We can also see the pilot on the ladder again result in an accident.
stepping upwards from the ladder to the
Furthermore, we can see in the photo that the
platform, again a bad practice, he should only
platform is not horizontal. IMO A. 1045(27)
have to step sideways. As we have seen there
tells us the platform should be in a horizontal
are some mistakes in the poster: the climbing
position (makes sense doesn't it) and secured
sentence printed above the pilot launch is
to the ships side when in use. The lower
wrong…
platform should be at a minimum of 5m
SOLAS V ch 23 also tells us requirements in above sea level. This is done to prevent the
how to rig a combination. In the previous combination and pilot launch ever touching
chapter we already saw some regulations eachother. Bigger heights may be required by
passing by 3.3.1 and 3.3.2) the pilot boat.
3.3.2.1 tells us that the pilot ladder and In the rst photo on the next page we can
manropes (manropes only on request of the clearly see a badly rigged combination:
pilot 7.1.1!!) must be secured at a point 1.5 m
• platform not horizontal
above the lower platform. Without these
securing methods, the ladder can swing free • platform not secured to the ship's hull
and of course that is a dangerous practice. • ladder not secured to the ships hull at 1,5
3.3.2 tells us the platform also must be m above the platform
secured to the ship's side • retrieval line not rigged properly (we have
discussed this in a previous article: retrieval
line is optional but when used it must be
rigged at or above the bottom spreader
and lead forward so it can never get caught
to the pilot launch)
• we can also see it is a way to big step from
pilot ladder to the platform, this photo
shows very well why the distance from
ladder to platform must be 0,1-0,2 m
Non-compliant combination

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Wires can break and situated leading aft; the

dropping combination will move away from
the pilot launch instead of on top of it. Should
you be on the combination when it breaks….
Well good luck…. Injuries will occur of
course….or worse…

Non-compliant combination
The direction of the combination is also
important. SOLAS ch.V reg 23: 3.3.2 …..The
accommodation ladder shall be sited leading
aft. Now why is that?? Suppose anything goes
wrong with this combination, for example the
wires should break. Should the pilot boat be
situated under this combination, the broken
combination would end up on top of pilot
boat and the people on it.

Non-compliant combination
(courtesy of #dangerousladders)

This photo is a good example of what will

happen when the ladder is tied to the
platform: the ladder is not rmly against the
ship's hull; steps are not horizontal, and the
combination can swing free. The guy working
on the combination when this photo was

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 Providing Peek into
Maritime Pilots’ world

taken, isn't wearing a life jacket or safety

harness, tells us something about the safety
culture on this vessel. SOLAS ch V reg 23 tells
us in 2.2: personal engaged in in rigging and
operating any mechanical equipment shall be
instructed in the safe procedures etc etc…
As from 2012 when IMO A.1045(27) came
into force, the maximum slope of the
accommodation ladder was decreased from
55 degrees (IMO A.899) to a maximum of 45
degrees. To me this seems obvious: the
steeper it gets, the harder it gets, and will
lead to an increased risk of slipping away.
To be able to transfer yourself safely from the
ladder to the platform you need stanchions to
be able to grab during this step over, as stated
in IMO A.1045(27) in rule 3.5: the ladder and
platform should be equipped on both sides
with stanchions and rigid handrails, but if
hand ropes are used, they should be tight and
properly secured. The vertical space between
the handrail or hand rope and the stingers of
the ladder should be securely fenced.
Of course you need fencing when you get on
to at platform 60x60 cm dimensions, imagine
the ship rolling and pitching due to swell and Non-compliant combination,
you would be there without anything to hold
on to, again a dangerous practice, but very (courtesy of #dangerousladders)
often we see at least one stanchion is missing.
Solution is to just tell the vessel went wrong
and come back for round 2 about ten minutes
later. I have told before that a lot of non- In my opinion ask them to get it sorted and
compliances are very easy xes and can all be come back after 10 minutes..
sorted within a few minutes. Even though of
course it is rather silly not to put stanchions,
what were they thinking?
This photo shows no stanchions on the
platform, how to cross over? At least it will be
very hard to reach the platform in this case:
platform is in front of the ladder and that will
make getting onto this platform nearly
impossible. Also ladder and platform are not
independently of each other secured to the
hull, and as you can see on the photo the
ladder is not rmly against the ship's hull as
required.

Page 31
 AIMPA

Safety & Securtiy

ALL INDIA MARITIME PILOT’ ASSOCIATION, INDIA

AIMPA takes a lead in training at MTIs and at shipping companies premises. The pilot ladder issues
are at large on all kinds of vessels and with all nationality crews, hence for time being AIMPA has taken
up the Pilot ladder safety awareness program and is ghting for righteousness with the entire industry.
We have taken to the cause of making things correct with ship management companies by making it a
right supply but the issue of training to crew on board is such on a magnanimous scale that it is difcult
to make a difference overnight. AIMPA now has taken to the training of candidates in Maritime
Training institutes for the right cause, although progress is slow but we are happy that it is denitive.
we thank all MTIs and shipping companies for accommodating our request for letting us hold the
special class with seafarers. One seafarer learns how to rug a ladder correctly, he saves many lives.

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