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- The latest issue: April 2010
PILOT TRAINING COURSES
Nautical Colleges offering Pilotage Training
Features
ECDIS Part 2: Navigating Using ECDIS
He had bought a large map representing the sea
Without the least vestige of land
And the crew were much pleased when they found it to be
A map they could all understand.
Lewis Carroll
Farewell! Photo: JCB
TRAINING:
In part 1, I expressed concerns over the training and in particular the need for any ECDIS user to be fully competent in the particular type of ECDIS placed on board his ship. Whilst such type specific expertise through training is being achieved the top end of the shipping industry, such as cruise liners and large tankers, the evidence is emerging of an alarming lack of comprehension by many officers of, not just their own system but of ECDIS and its functions in general. These are not just personal concerns but reflect those of many Industry observers. Read the rest of this entry »
ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display and Information System): Part1: How ECDIS works.
When I decided to produce an article on ECDIS I thought that it would simply involve reading a few articles, condensing the content and adding a few photographs. How wrong I was! Having started to delve into the mysteries of ECDIS I realised that this charting system, the carriage of which shortly will become mandatory, is a highly complex tool which, if it is to fully deliver the enhanced safety advertised, will require watchkeepers to forget many of the traditional chartwork skills and learn to use the electronic chart from scratch. Despite having waded through many papers and articles, even now I am not too sure that I fully understand all the elements that are combined to produce an authorised ECDIS.
A typical ECDIS console
The Bristol Channel Sailing Pilot “Skiffs”
In the October 2007 issue I ran a feature on the pilot gigs of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. That feature was based on information contained within a, long since out of print, book called “Azook” by Keith Harris who kindly permitted me to freely use his research for my article. In addition to the gigs, the waters of South West England were also frequented by another famous pilot craft, the Bristol Channel sailing skiff, or cutter as it now more commonly known as. Despite the ongoing massive popularity of this sailing design, the only authoritative book on the craft was written in the 1970’s by Peter Stuckey. The book was updated and re-published in 1999 but again has long since been out of print and used copies rarely appear and attract very high prices. At the time of writing there is one copy on the internet in the USA with an asking price of $216! In what was probably my best investment in recent years, I purchased a copy in 1999 when it was republished and Peter Stuckey has kindly granted me permission to use extracts from the book for this article. As an introduction, I cannot better Peter’s own which dedicates the book to: those brave men of the Bristol Channel who, with their stout boats, went seeking “downalong”
Read the rest of this entry »
COSCO BUSAN: CRIMINALISATION OF PILOTS IS CONFIRMED!
In the April issue’s editorial I expressed concern over the fact that the pilot of the Cosco Busan, John cota, had been charged with and had pleaded guilty to causing pollution. Read the rest of this entry »
FOG & PILOTAGE
In fog. proceed with caution and obey the COLREGS! Photo: MAIB
Fog has always been one of the elements to cause most concern to the mariner, especially in coastal waters, and in the days before radar the prudent navigator would frequently stop or anchor and wait until the fog cleared before continuing on passage. Similarly, once in pilotage waters, pilots would also anchor and await clearer visibility rather than risk a collision or grounding by continuing on passage. Read the rest of this entry »
MARNIS & POADSS
As you will be aware, the UKMPA have been involved in the European Maritime Navigation Information Services (MarNIS) project for four years and EMPA have been the project leaders for the development of the Portable Operational Approach and Decision Support System (POADSS) which developed from the Innovative Portable Pilot Assistant (IPPA) project which ran from 2000 – 2003.
Our “front man” on the POADSS project has been Southampton pilot, Nigel Allen 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 »
119th UKMPA CONFERENCE
In a departure from tradition in order to make attendance more attractive for delegates and their wives, it was decided at the 2006 Conference to move the date of the annual conference from November to May and to find a more central venue. UKMPA Section committee member and Tees pilot Peter Wylie is to be congratulated on finding the Crown Hotel at Harrogate and making all the necessary arrangements for what was a very well supported and successful conference. Having arrived at Harrogate on the eve of the conference the delegates naturally observed merchant navy tradition by merrily socialising and the Hotel catering staff also observed MN tradition by setting off the fire alarms at 0545 the following morning.
Needless to say, your normally fine and dapper representatives were looking decidedly the worse for wear as they shuffled outside to the muster point in the car park!! Of course, as professional seafarers, once fortified by breakfast they were all fully alert and attentive for the conference proceedings. The following is a brief outline of the agenda items discussed. The full minutes are available for members on the UKMPA website.
PROCEEDINGS Read the rest of this entry »
SQUAT: PART 2: MUD NAVIGATION & NEGATIVE UNDER KEEL CLEARANCE
Whilst wading through the various documents to produce the article on squat in the January issue, I came across several references to the linked topic of muddy water navigation and the concept of negative under keel clearance (UKC). Read the rest of this entry »
SHIP SQUAT PART 1:ARE WE OUT OF OUR DEPTH?
A tanker in a restricted channel. According to ship squat tables this tanker should be aground! Photo :JCB
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