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- The latest issue: April 2010
PILOT TRAINING COURSES
Nautical Colleges offering Pilotage Training
Editorial
Editorial April 2010
Editorial
The criminalisation of seafarers continues to cause increasing concern throughout the Industry and pilots cannot ignore this worrying trend. Read the rest of this entry »
Editorial January 2010
Welcome to 2010 and to this 300th issue of The PILOT. Read the rest of this entry »
EDITORIAL OCTOBER 2009
EDITORIAL
As I predicted in the July issue, the operators of the Cosco Busan, Fleet Managment, have come to an agreement with the prosecutors to make an out of court settlement of a fine rather than face a court case and possible jail term. Read the rest of this entry »
Editorial July 2009
From the outset it was evident that the media frenzy in America, following the Cosco Busan allision with the Bay Bridge in San Francisco, would ensure that the role of the pilot, John Cota, would be subjected to detailed scrutiny. What wasn’t anticipated was that criminal negligence charges would be brought against him to which he subsequently pleaded guilty in a plea bargaining agreement. The court’s decision to impose the maximum possible 10 month prison sentence on the pilot, has set an alarming precedent which has profound implications for all pilots worldwide. As criminal charges commence against a pilot in France, all pilotage organisations need to work together to decide how we can address this issue. As Australian pilot and IMPA vice president, Steve Pelecanos, aptly states:
“We need to send a strong message to industry that it is an inherent part of the human condition to make mistakes and pilots, like all humans, are capable of making mistakes. If, as an international maritime industry, we are to acknowledge that the criminalisation of pilots who make mistakes is acceptable, then we must be prepared to accept the potential detrimental impact this might have on international trade”.
Every day around the world, thousands of pilotage acts ensure that the world’s trade keeps moving with the minimum of delay. Many of these acts will be undertaken in challenging conditions at the limits of operational parameters. Pilots are expected to cope with such conditions but the considerable skills employed and stress endured go totally unremarked when the ship is berthed alongside and cargo operations commence! Although the Master and Officers of the Cosco Busan received immunity from prosecution by cooperating with the NTSB enquiry, the ship operators, Fleet Management are facing court proceedings later this year. They will no doubt argue that the pilot has admitted liability and walk away after paying a nominal fine. With the shipping industry’s opinion of pilots generally low, John Cota’s fate will inevitably fade rapidly from the headlines but I, for one, will be thinking of him and his family throughout his prison ordeal, especially when piloting in marginal conditions!
Editorial April 2009
This quarter’s feature focuses on four MAIB reports into Fog related incidents. Tragically, one of these resulted in the loss of three lives on board a tug which capsized whilst towing in fog. Read the rest of this entry »
EDITORIAL JANUARY 2009
As I compile this issue the world is rightly hailing pilot Sullenberger of US Airlines a hero for his skill in landing his crippled airliner on the Hudson River. Read the rest of this entry »
EDITORIAL OCTOBER 2008
This month marks the 20th anniversary of the implementation of the 1987 Pilotage Act which transferred responsibility for UK pilotage from Trinity House to the ports. It seems strange that pilotage was singled out as an area where legislation was required, but the intense lobbying by the shipping and ports industries somehow convinced the Government that pilots were “strangulating trade” and unless this unruly body of individuals was regulated then the country would be brought to its knees! Read the rest of this entry »
EDITORIAL JULY 2008
The 120th UKMPA Conference was held in Harrogate in May and the excellent attendance by 49 delegates and pilots actually represents 10% of the total UKMPA membership. For those who didn’t attend this issue contains a brief resume of the proceedings and the notes from day 1 reveal the vast maritime spectrum that your elected representatives are involved in. Read the rest of this entry »
EDITORIAL APRIL 2008
The last year has seen several investigations into incidents involving pilots and one factor emerging is that frequently there has not been a clear communication between the Pilot and Master as to the intended passage / manoeuvre. Read the rest of this entry »
EDITORIAL APRIL 2008
The last year has seen several investigations into incidents involving pilots and one factor emerging is that frequently there has not been a clear communication between the Pilot and Master as to the intended passage / manoeuvre. Read the rest of this entry »
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