A marine pilot, also called maritime pilot, harbor pilot, port pilot, ship pilot, or simply pilot, is a mariner who maneuvers ships through dangerous or congested waters, such as harbors or river mouths. They are navigational experts possessing knowledge of the particular waterway, licensed or authorised by a recognised pilotage authority.
When a ship needs to enter or leave a harbor, marine pilots are sent aboard via a small pilot boat to safely navigate the vessel through the local waterways. This operation is known as pilot transfer arrangements.
Unlike the captain and crewmembers who travel onboard the ship, marine pilots are usually stationed at the ports. While due to the nature of the work, many pilots have previously worked as a ship’s officer or master.
“Marine pilots are responsible for the safety of the vessel which they are navigating, and also with the protection of the state waters, harbors, ports, the environment, life and property, including effects that ships transiting a harbor may have on other ships moored at the docks and any impact on port facilities”.
· Why can’t the ship Captain be the pilot?
One thing is for sure, there is no comparison between those two, as they both provide an essential and unique service to the shipping industry.
However, the answer is simple. A marine pilot only controls ships when they’re in crowded harbors or other confined waters. Although the captain knows the ship and crew well, along with the pilot’s assistance and expertise in a particular waterway, they result to the safely navigation of the vessel.
“Ship’s masters cannot be expected to be fully conversant with the special navigational and regulatory requirements of an area”.
To put it straightforward, marine pilots offer local communications knowledge, which is necessary to work with local services such as tugs and linesmen.
During the pilotage, masters still retain command of their vessel, however, the direction of the movement of the vessel is turned over to the pilot in order to transit the local channels, waterways etc.
“Captains and pilots relationship is an intriguing balance of mutual trust and respect, largely unwritten, which provides an unrivalled level of safety in a society that expects, and receives, the highest of standards from the shipping industry”.
Thus, the collaboration among the pilot and the master is necessary to avoid any hazard.
While the ship’s captain handles the job of navigating the ship in the water, when the situation gets risky or there is any situation which demands greater skill in the manoeuvring of the ship, the ship pilot acts as the person who advises the captain what route to take and what changes need to be made during ship’s routine manoeuvring while entering or leaving a port.
The role of the pilot increases even further when the size of the ship is taken into account. Ships that carry cargo or are used as oil tankers need the expertise of pilots as they are quite heavy and difficult to manoeuvre. The bulk of the ship makes it important that there is a pilot who can navigate the ship safely without any loss. Marine jobs like that of a marine pilot also help in protecting the marine life and habitat.
If the entry to a particular port is quite narrow, then the pilot has to be used because it’s the pilot who knows the way and ensure that the boat or ship passes through the narrow gateway without any incident.
