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PILOT TRAINING COURSES
Nautical Colleges offering Pilotage Training
Articles
Piloting ship to ship transfers 1970′s
The Dutch tanker Nacia approaches a Bergeson VLCC / OBO. (pilot J. Morrison) These vessels were the largest two vessels to undertake the transfer operation. Photo E. Ramsay. The Isle of Arran is visible to starboard.
As many of you are probably aware there have been several proposals tabled during the last few years to permit ship to ship oil transfers at several locations around the UK coast especially for the export of oil cargoes from Russia where the depth of the Baltic precludes the use of large tankers. Read the rest of this entry »
Dead Slow Ahead!!
Further to reports of high Dead Slow Ahead speeds here is one daunting copy of a pilot cord received from IMPA.
The pilot cutter “Protector”
Wendy Cummin has kindly granted permission for her research into the loss of the pilot cutter “Protector” to be placed on this website. The photographs have been supplied by retired Harwich pilot, Andy Adams.
The pilot cutter “Protector”
Although not as common as in WW2, there were many civilian deaths in WW1. Read the rest of this entry »
THE PIVOT POINT?
THE PIVOT POINT?
BY HUGUES CAUVIER (QUEBEC PILOT)
Where will she pivot? Photo: JCB
From the day that an officer commences his apprenticeship, the traditional introduction to ship handling instils the concept of a ship’s pivot point into the new recruit. Every navigating officer is therefore aware that a ship pivots around a point approximately 1/3 from the bow when going ahead and 1/4 from the stern when proceeding astern. This knowledge could be proudly revealed to the examiner during the “orals” examination when pushing the battered old wooden ships around books on the examiner’s table. Well, you can now forget those lessons because Canadian pilot Hugues Cauvier has studied the principles involved and the following feature seeks to explain how, in many circumstances, our traditional understanding of the pivot point is incorrect and that an equally important factor is the “Centre of Lateral Resistance” (COLR).
This concept is well illustrated by Hugues using delightfully simple demonstrations involving basic models in a paddling pool on a video stream at the following link
http://ohlinthermotech.com/pivotpoint/
Research centres such as Wallingford and Marin should be afraid!
JCB
PS This article can also be downloaded in pdf format at the following link:
http://www.cpslc.com/understanding_the_pivot_point.pdf
Introduction
The following text brings forward a new understanding of the pivot point’s position shift while handling ships. The proposed method, based on simple physical principles acting in combination, also outlines the limitation of the term “pivot” used to qualify that point. We will start from a basic rule of the thumb, which has been the traditional understanding of the pivot point until recently, and step up to more complex levels giving better explanation of the real-life behaviour of rotating ships. Read the rest of this entry »
PEC Abuse
PEC ABUSE
Earlier this year the Government produced the draft for a Marine Bill which, as well as introducing new legislation to cover the marine environment would also replace the 1987 Pilotage Act. Although we now understand that no Parliamentary time has been allocated for the passage of this Bill in the current legislative programme, the draft was put out to consultation and at the conference the DfT indicated that despite the probable lack of formal legislation, the DfT wished to incorporate the proposals into the Port Marine Safety Code as an interim measure pending parliamentary time for the Bill to be formally incorporated. The consultation process was therefore extremely important and I know that in addition to the UKMPA submission, many pilots submitted individual responses.
One area in particular was of deep concern to pilots and that was the inclusion within the draft of a proposal to remove the requirement for a PEC holder to be the “Bona Fide” Master or Mate of the vessel and to replace it with “any person”! Read the rest of this entry »
IMPA Report: PIANC Meeting
IMPA Report: Meeting 8 of PIANC working group 49
As the UKMPA’s IMPA representative I am involved with The Permanent International Association of Navigation Congresses (PIANC) working group 49. This group is concerned with the review of the 1997 working group 30 report titled “Approach Channels – A guide for Design”. This is the design bible used by many authorities when considering a new or modified port channel or fairway. Read the rest of this entry »
19th IMPA CONGRESS BANGKOK (4th – 6th August 2008)
19th IMPA Congress
Bangkok 4th - 6th August 2008
Note that papers are available on the IMPA & UKMPA web sites at
http://www.impahq.org/ & http://www.ukmpa.org/
I attended the congress as part of the UK delegation accompanied by Joe Wilson
John Pretswell and fellow executive member John Pearn (Milford Haven).
Former IMPA president and retired Tees pilot, Geoff Taylor, also attended.
With the underlying theme of “PILOTS – MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER” The event was hosted by the Thai pilots. Read the rest of this entry »
Viewpoint: IMPA conference
IMPA: A personal view.
Within our profession this is an extremely important event, not only as it gives us all a chance to learn of IMPA’s work and activities as well as learning of developments in the shipping and navigation worlds but perhaps most importantly to interact with colleagues from other nations who have to deal with a huge variety of regulations, legislation and political systems. Read the rest of this entry »
Technical & Training Report October 2008
Technical and Training Committee Report
There has been little activity since our last meeting and the report we made to Conference that was included in the July edition.
The recent pilot ladder incident in Harwich on the 12th July has once again highlighted the dangers inherent during the pilot transfer operation. Read the rest of this entry »
Belfast goes Carbon Neutral!
Left Billy Esler, Right: Liam Magee. Zoe is most definitely the one in the middle.
Belfast Port recently became the first UK port to be granted carbon neutral status.
To mark the occasion Zoe Salmon (Blue Peter presenter) was invited to launch the eco drive and by pure coincidence there happened to be a couple of Belfast pilots available at short notice for a photo shoot!
Their obvious discomfort at being included in the event is clearly evident from the photo. How we suffer for our profession!!
JCB
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