UK Ship Pilot Dies | Required Boarding Arrangements for Pilots | How a Pilot Boards | Am Pilot Assoc 

I am a Seapilot Serving ships in river Weser and Jade to the ports of Bremerhaven and Wilhelmshaven. Thank you for honouring the work of maritime pilots all over the world. My very deep condolences to his love ones

Dad was a Humber Pilot retiring in the late 90s, as his son growing up I hadn't realised the dangerous nature of boarding ships in the dead of night with the sometimes ferocious North Sea and currents in and out of the Humber estuary, this sad news has made me feel proud of the work he and all the other Pilots do. Rip Mr Galia.

I talked with a senior pilot in a major US port and this is what he said regarding a safety line: "The rail on the ship is not a static point to work off of. It is being lifted 10 or 20 feet up and down, fire and aft in the sea. It looks static from the perspective of someone standing next to it aboard the ship. Same with the pilot down on the pilotboat. Both vessels are always moving in each direction independently. Today I boarded a ship in fairly tough conditions and the idea of a being clipped to a wire hanging from the rail of the ship twenty feet above me (and that distance constantly changing in unpredictable directions and speeds would have been a deal breaker for me. See if you could rig the line above the wall on a wheel that moves up, down, left, right, in and out ten or twenty feet at a time unpredictably. Then approach the wall on a trampoline that is also being lifted and dropped in all those directions. Clip in and see how helpful the rig is."

Very sad. My condolences for family friends and all personnel involved. Pilots do a great service, often under the radar. RIP

I watched from an upper deck on a moving cruise ship ,how the pilot had to align himself with the liner and transfer from his boat. I think I held my breath ! I was amazed at his timing and skill. When he left ,he had quite an audience and we all clapped as he made it safely back. He gave us a lovely wave and smile as they returned to port. Not surprised there are accidents. So sorry for this man and family . God bless them .

A very good friend of mine died while working as a Pilot in 2007. After years at sea as a ships master he decided to work closer to home as a Pilot working mostly off Felixstowe UK. He suffered a fatal heart attack while transferring from the pilot boat to a very large deep draught vessel. The sheer exertion of the transfer exacerbated an undiagnosed heart condition and he tragically died. I think the difficult and dangerous work that pilots do deserves more recognition.

My deepest condolences to the Pilot's family and friends. The Jacob's Ladder hasn't really changed in centuries, you would think we could find or develop better ways.

From someone who lives close to the Humber river, I just wanted to thank you for reporting on this incident with regard for family and colleagues

Even this Engineer has been there. I caught a Port Relief Engineer job for a tanker coming in under the Golden Gate Bridge. I was told to show up for the pilot boat. So we rode it out to come alongside the tanker just when it came under the bridge. There was no accommodation or pilots ladder, just a jacobs ladder. Grabbing that ladder from the pilot boat with the ship still making Full Ahead in the dark was certainly different from the other ways I've joined ships. Don't compare it to riding a launch from the dock to your ship while it is swinging on the hook in the harbor. All your senses are on high alert in the pilot boat scenario. You don't want to fall in. That water is cold and there's no guarantee they'll find you in time. Sal - Good job explaining the dangers of this exercise. This video especially is much appreciated.

As a rock climber, I'm surprised there isn't a rope lowered from above which would be clipped onto a harness that the pilot wears. Once clipped in, pilot would join ship ladder and climb, someone above pulling the rope up as pilot climbs. Granted, a rope can get fouled, be in the way, etc., but falling more than a few feet would be impossible. Pilots need to be in good physical condition too, obviously. I assume that is a requirement.

Thanks for covering this story. Here in the UK the mainstream media have not given it a mention!!!

Captain, as a Coast Guard boarding team member after 9/11, I have participated in over 100 boardings using a jacob's ladder. This is the default method in the US. The SF Bar pilots that we boarded with faced extreme risks in boarding and departing vessels. In just one year there were 8 events where a CG member was exposed to a extreme risk (over and above the usual danger). Our after action reports were reviewed and the CG tried a "vertical delivery" via a CG helicopter on a hoist. This evolution presented new dangers as the landing spot on most container ships was a maximum of 6 feet square. Everything your outlined in your narrative happened at one time to one of my team members. Some ships had jacob's ladders that were so old that the steps or the ropes disintegrated when being used. Thank God for the "man rope" (a line thrown over the side and laid next to the ladder for you to grab onto if you detach from the jacob's ladder). The other most dangerous action is when the merchant ship swings its stern into the pilot boat. That crushed the rails of the pilot boat, tossing two of my team down onto the deck. Even if the gear does not fail, the ships crew does everything right, the weather can step in and make it a very bad day. This is an excellent primer for the public to see how pilots worldwide are daily heroes. And yes, the timing of the "jump" from the pilot boat to the jacob's ladder is the most gut wrenching thing undertaken in the whole process. You miss, you are dead.

In 1958 I was a Cadet Officer on a ship leaving Wellington NZ on Christmas Eve. We were leaving to save harbour dues over the Christmas/New Year break. It was stormy and the seas were very rough. They took a tug boat and barge with a tarp stretched over the hold of the barge and the pilot jumped from the ladder onto the tarp!!! Goodness knows how much they paid that pilot !! I have a deep respect for what they do and was very sad to hear of the accident.

My step-dad was a tanker captain, a ship's pilot, and then went onto lifeboats in the UK. Bravest man I ever knew. Sorely missed.

I’m in the U.K. and this is the first that I have heard of it. Such a shame and respect to the family. ❤️

Retired Master Australia. Toad to the risk some ships do not correctly position (for pilot boarding - ie Lee or course ) and also suitable speed. Often also Language difficulties, visibility et all combine to make this so difficult and that omits the Sea state etc as well. Having seen and boarded /Disembarked many pilots I admire respect them for all they have to deal with. Sad to hear of this issue and my sympathy to all involved

Very surprised that the pilot doesn’t wear a harness and clip-on at the very least when he’s on the Jakobs ladder. In my country you can’t even climb on the roof of a house without a safety harness - and a house isn’t moving up/down and side-to-side.

Damn Sal, the gentleman was just in sight of retirement.., hate to hear this.., peace be with his family. Great report sir, Thank you.

I’ve watched the pilots boarding from the Pacific to pilot a ship in the Columbia River. That is the most frightening thing. Great reporting, Sal! My condolences.

My dread was pilot ladders, or even worse Jacobs ladders (round rungs, no spreaders), pilot hoists were equally scary, many crews had no idea how to rig them correctly. Quite a few pilots have been lost in UK waters, usually in the winter.

Imagine that danger, and add the stress of taking control of a ship for the trickiest part of the voyage . Huge respect to those pilots.

Thanks for posting the video. I used to run a pilot boat at Cape Henry, Virginia. I knew it was dangerous. I would always get the boat out from under the pilot once he got on the ladder. In case he fell he would be better off hitting the water than hitting the boat. I would always stand by and watch until he was safely on the ship, before I would leave. You know, it is not always day time. It is not always calm. It can be rough, It can be very rough. It can be rough and cold. Their can be ice on the boat. Some times the pilot would have a suit case, They would lower a line to pull that up first. The pilots did get off of the ship onto the pilot boat half the time.. The ships used a pilot when they came in and when they went out.

So sorry - condolences to his family.

Sorry to hear of this, this is a very dangerous way to make a living Prayers to the ship's crew, his friends & family

Retired Coastie, did Vessel Traffic Service in New Orleans ‘84-‘86 & San Francisco twice. We had to do occasional orientation rides with a pilot! My first was NOBRA 57 (New Orleans Baton Rouge Association). Those ladders need all the respect you can muster!

Thanks for sharing your video on the pilot tragedy, my heart goes out to the family, we watched one ship off Teesside coast the ship actually turned full circle to protect the pilot boat from the wind the pilot did eventually get on board they earn every penny they get. KEITH FROM YORK ENGLAND

Sad, that can be a tricky step, especially when swells are high, hesitation often leads to misstep, dangerous transfers. RIP🙏

As a former docker, loading mostly windmills (wings, nacelles and such) here in Denmark, as well as a few jobs at sea emptying grounded ships - the degree of safety training and commitment to procedure over pace was truly reassuring, having come over from the English job market.. Though even that didn't mean we were free of life changing accidents nor a death. Not everyone is Fred Dibnah, even if we naively consider ourselves spidermen. We had some at-sea transfers to medium and smaller vessels but were always harnessed with a safety line when using the Jacobs Ladder, albeit also a single 'plank' transfer in calm [before the storm 'calm'] seas between a trawler and tug - that too required a safety line, even though it was a single step across. We took 30 mins to transfer 6 workers a few steps; one step on, one across, one down. Seeing the pilot in the example climb on without being clipped onto a safety line from the ship he's transferring to would concern me. My union rep certainly wouldn't let anyone take that option, it's just asking for trouble and relatively careless. I'd be removed from the ship and likely lose my job upon returning to land, at the minimum require completion of additional training before being considered fit for work.

A sad day indeed. Something I experienced in the 1970's (granted on smaller ships, 7 and 18k ton) were guide boats with pilots aboard in Australia and New Zealand where we were instructed to follow them and given info by radio. What was more exciting was in South America where we boarded pilots who did not speak English LOL. Thanks for another great video.

Not trying to be argumentative; just a comment about aircraft pilots who operate from aircraft carriers: it's a huge challenge to land at night in rough weather. I think both Pilot types have their respective moments of grave challenge. Thanks for your videos. Have a nice day.

Wow! Thanks for an insider's perspective!

I used to be a Steamship Agent. I often went out and boarded on the SS from a crew boat the same way the Pilots would. Very dangerous, no harnesses. You hit that Jacob's ladder and keep moving! Don't stop, don't look down, just keep going. There were no extra boards! Some of the ropes were very frayed! My condolences to the family. ✝️🙏❤🇺🇸

Cpt John Temple Snr Pilot used to bring the ships into the Mersey (Liverpool). This meant a 45 minute drive to Port Linus then 30 minutes on the Pilot cutter to meet the ship at the Bar Light. Then came the transfer in swells of several meters and 40 knt winds. Climbing up a G3 container ship took a lot of strength. We take such courage for granted. My condolences.

Im from the UK I send my respect and condolences to the family and friends of the ship pilot. I think we all should be grateful for the dangerous work these people do with out them food and goods would run out very quickly so A BIG THANK YOU FROM ME FOR THE WORK YOUS DO AND YOUS ALL HAVE MY UP MOST RESPECT ✌️🇬🇧👍

Maritime pilots play a crucial role in world commerce and we often forget the complexity of seafaring activities. Thanks for this video.

RIP. The only good thing is that it happens so rarely. I wonder if it was a medical incident while he was boarding.

So Sad, I have watched quite a few videos of people going up/down those rope ladders, Very Scary, Praying for Family 🙏 Thank You Sal

Sad event. Thanks for the presentation of this procedure.

Hey Sal, definitely sad report!! Sincere condolences to the Pilots family. This takes me back to late seventies when I was employed as ship gauuger/cargo inspector, having to climb "ol Jacob" many times a week. My area was mid-Atlantic and was assisted by great launch services. Still have to say, ya bet your ass, I was well aware of the danger every time embarking or boarding those monster ships. Maybe you could do an episode about gaugers/inspectors in the future!! Love your channel, Mike from Delaware!

Sal, as you stated, most Pilots in the US are indeed State Licensed Pilots, however US vessels in domestic trade often use Federal Pilots. A case in point are the Federal Pilots on the Mississippi River. There are also Federal Pilot groups servicing the US Northeast. In my experience both State and Federal Pilots in the U.S. are consummate professionals,

A well cared for and nicely designed pilot boat. We've been in many ports over the years and have never seen this design of pilot boats before. We use to provide diving services to ships in harbour and one of the biggest issue was mooring ropes caught in ships propellers, including the Pilot boat. At that time our local harbour was a natural deep water harbour. The Pilot lived next door to us and very close to the international shipping wharf. So we were privy to some extremely interesting and funny stories. Many were due to language misinterpretations as maritime English, much like Air Pilots where English was the common denominator which wasn't brought in until 2001. Maritime English was adapted or Standard Maritime Communication Phrases or SMCP. We found it hilarious listening to them on our scanner. It was always a special treat when the resupply ship was in port as we regularly ended in up in their wet mess. That was usually on weekends so we enjoyed many a great night on board that ship, again listening to many a shipping tail.

I have watched pilots from cruise ships on quite a few occasions. They have my greatest respect. I remember watching from shore as a boy with my father a ship leaving Wellington Harbour in very rough weather heading into Cook Strait, a distance behind was the pilot boat ploughing through the waves. My father told me that it would soon be picking up the pilot. We had a discussion about how difficult that transfer would be. That was in the early 1960’s and I have never forgotten it. I work in the building industry and believe that everyone deserves to go home after work, however, this does not always happen. My condolences to the family of the pilot.

This are very sad news. My condolences to family and friends. Thanks a lot for taking the oporttunity to mention how important is the work that pilots do.

Very sad. Condolences to the friends and family

Thank you for this excellent video, "What is going on with shipping?" Well done for showing the dangers. Firstly, A previous YT video from [Sikh at Sea, titled "OMG! Lady Pilot Disembarked the Ship in Rough Weather."] also illustrated the dangers well. In my comment on that video, I stated my firmly held belief that the procedure for embarking/disembarking ships' pilots is intrinsically unsafe. It was clear to me from other commenters on that video, that my view was wrong and some commenters even defended the current practises. Admiration for the bravery of the lady pilot was certainly due to her and to the skills of the pilot boat crew in getting her disembarked. Back in the 70s, I was a deckhand on a pilot boat (in the UK) and I remember my dread every time a pilot was transferred to or from that pilot ladder in rough weather. Things have changed a lot since then, everything happens so much faster now. What has not changed is the lack of proper safety regulations and procedures by our public bodies who, on our behalf, must take more responsibility for the safety of our ships' pilots. THERE MUST BE A SAFER WAY. There must be an inquiry at international level into these unsafe procedures, even one life lost is one too many. My deepest sympathy goes to the family of the ships' pilot in their sad loss. 🙏

This is a great channel and I feel like you're a fellow Mariner. Thank you for your insight.

It would be nice if the maritime industry comes up one day with a safety rope that can be launched to the mates on deck. If he is essentially a "climber" at that point, he might as well use climbing safety gear or a full on harness for that stage, this way he will not be totally dependent on the quality of the Jacobs ladder or the swinging of the waves or the lighting conditions such as boarding at night.

I've done that small boat-to-ship transfer many times as a US Navy 6th Fleet Sailor in the Medertrainian Sea, neither vessel was underway but with the waves surging up and down you must time your jump just right at the top of the wave to the ladder. We did not have the jacobs ladder, if you jumped too soon you could end up underwater and soaked as the wave surged up.

Thank you for educating us! Subscriber since Baltimore bridge crash

I did not see this story reported in the UK but deaths like this in the past have happened and the way they work greatly changed when the death before this happened

Thank you for this video

Having just recently done nav/com electronics the on new boat for the TX pilots assn Galveston boat, WOW. This reminds us about how dangerous this job is .. the new Galveston boat got one of the big seakeeper systems to alleviate roll for the transfer ... A Gladding-Hearn pilot xfer boat.

I live near the Humber. I walk on the side of the river most days with my dogs. I’m so sorry to hear about this accident.

Incredibly sad ! Sympathies to family and colleagues. Thanks to those involved in the rescue attempt. R.I.P. man !

in case anyone is wondering, SWATH stands for Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull

Great video Captain!!!

So sorry to hear about this tragedy. Pilots are some of the bravest men and women in the maritime industry, and my thoughts are with the friends and family of Mr. Galio.

First time. Very nicely narrated!

Last time I took the ferry from Portsmouth to Cherbourg, I watched the pilot leave the ship and transfer to the harbor vessel- it was scary.

Excellent presentation.

Fascinating! I had no idea.

Thanks for that brief video. Both my father & I we’re Master mariners - I have a (sadly no longer PPL, medical failure - amm a septuagenarian). All tro true regarding ship’s pilots, but my Dad & I could tell you some very good, usually funny stories about Pilots.! Especially the Australian Narrier Reef pilots!

YOU WOULD THINK WITH ALL THIS HIGH TECH THEY WOULD COME UP WITH SOMETHING FOR SAFETY!

RIP to a brave man doing excellent and much appreciated work.. Another well produced presentation, in spite of the (hopefully) tongue in cheek jibe at us aviation pilots :>) I was telling myself for years that once retired I'd apply to experience a voyage on a freighter, (you wouldn't get me aboard a cruise ship).. unfortunately, now retired I don't have the funds! Stay safe all you crews, the general public have little idea just how risky some of your work is.

When I was a duty pilot, I had a couple of questionable ladders, night time boarding off the Sunk pilot or the northeast Spit, day light boarding you could see what your getting on night boardings was purely trust, the car ships where the best as they had pilots doors, newer ships hand pilot hoists but very could give you a shock when the wires or ropes would step off the winch drum. But It was great fun when all said and done.

Thanks for the detailed walkthrough. I am really surprised that there are not better procedures in place after hundreds of years this is done worldwide. The pilot ship should use own equipment to enter. Require the ships to just follow a procedure to get that trusted and standardized ladder / boarding equipment up to height

My condolences to the pilot's family. Danger is a part of many jobs, but a loss of life reminds us of the dedication these people display with no thought of thanks or reward.

Another great video, thanks

This a decent report on a very sad event , I'm retired now and worked with Franco quite often so it's nice to see people being respectful. Whilst I feel sad at this tragic accident it must be remembered he was a family man and there loss is just dreadful. To clear up a point , it has been mentioned more than once why isn't the pilot is not attached to the ship with a safety harness. We don't and won't were them for the following points . When rock climbing etc. a harness and line is a valuable safety feature , but the ground and rock face are stationary. When we board a ship it is moving at a requested speed and the pilot launch matches that , also the ship may be rolling and pitching and pilot boar will be doing the same, I've boarded with a vertical movement between the boat and the ship of 8 metres . A safety line would be danger and could pull the pilot off the launch causing an accident. To board the ship you watch the movement of the ship and the launch and jump onto the ladder at what you hope is the highest point - it's a split second judgement. If you look for my videos there are several of board and landing , one of the best is " how a pilot gets off a fairly large ship" it was as calm as it gets but there is still a 2 metre movement between the launch and ship .

Very Sad ....Sig to see you report This .....But it's so Good to the Maritime world how Dangerous each industry can be...Thank you for Showcasing a serious issue for improvement...We have taken tons of Cruises so it's So exciting to watch the transfer of our PILOT....WE NOTICE MOST PILOT BOATS HAVE RAIL PLATFORMS FOR THE PILOTS TO STEP OFF ETC...WHICH SEEMS SAFE ..BUT WE SEEN TERRIFING WHERE THE PILOT FALLS DOWN A ROPE RATHER STEPPING OFF FROM A PLATFORM ......SO SAD..

You are right, this is the first I am hearing of this in UK

One Med cruise we were anchored out in Livorno Italy. a storm came up and the only boat they ran out was the gig to take the new duty section. Of course I was in that duty section. They put the Jacob's ladder down over the stern. standing there waiting to jump one minute we were looking at the black paint of the water line. The next minute we were looking down at the deck on a Spruance class destroyer. Needless to say, after that I never went ashore if we were anchored out the rest of the cruise.

Very sad to hear. Thanks for another very informative video

Very sad news. My heart goes out to those left grieving. I work in offshore renewables and we face similar issues boarding offshore wind turbine towers. We are developing a laser controlled heave compensated personnel Hiab winch transfer system for transferring techs. Currently we have to step off the vessel whilst the crew transfer vessel pushes on hard to push on fenders to dampen vessel movement and step on to a ladder as the vessel is expected to drop down the wave. Pilots have two moving bodies to straddle and I suspect they have much wider sea state condition limits. Respect!

Safety line hanging from a high point on the vessel being boarded. Clip it on to a harness on the pilot just before he steps on the the rope ladder. Very cheap and effective. Millions of workers that work on high structures been doing it for many decades now and it has been very effective.

Very sad story. But I really value this video and its importance. If you know what the US or UK are planning on doing to increase the safety of the pilots please make a video on it.

I was a pilot boat Captain in Hawaii for 24 years.. Some where in the world a pilot will die. its a dangerous profession. We lost a pilot back in 2006, Captain David Lyman, Pilot 5, when he fell between the pilot boat and the vessel. This profession can have its bad days even in calm waters. When the shit hits the fan, it will be fast and often times fatal. Even the pilot boat and operator are always in the danger factor when coming along side a ship doing 14 knotts in rough seas at zero dark thirty.. I had many close calls. In Hurricane Iniki 1991, we were tasked with evacuating all ships out of Honolulu Harbor when the hurricane hit and a 25' wave hit the pilot boat on the port side and capsized with me in it but a miracle happened and the vessel came right back up. I should have been the first fatality of that storm. God saved me. so sad to learn about this UK Pilot.

Approaching Port Everglades on Independence of the Seas after a "bomb cyclone" storm to the north had whipped up winds and waves.... The pilot boat was skipping up and down like a ski boat as he approached the ship. That pilot earned his keep that morning! This was the same storm system that famously laid Anthem of the Seas over on its side with a 15-20 degree list for two hours, much farther to the north.

Nice video starting at @10:00 but that is near dead calm water. I've seen the transfer when the pilot boat is crashing up and down in the swells.

Thank you from a dumb lay person in Los Angeles. This was thoroughly fascinating and a re working of my thoughts💯👍

That was very interesting. That would be a dangerous profession! Brave men!.

First of all, I'm truly saddened by the news of the pilot that lost his life in the UK. My thoughts and prayers are for his family and loved ones (for whatever that is worth). I have worked as a longshoreman at the Port of Miami for 25 years and have lost many friends in maritime related accidents including the last voyage of The SS Norway in which I was one of the first to assist with emergency aid to crew members. We're ALWAYS cognizant of the risks to everyone in this profession and feel each loss of life as a loss of a family member irrespective of their location. Now, I also happen to be a commercial pilot of the "winged" variety and thought that last comment was unnecessary! Hopefully, you'll avoid those types of insults with your next video and then I'll subscribe. Thanks for the good information and presentation.

I board vessels rather frequently for onsite inspections, but their usually anchored and have ever boarded on while on the way. The worst i have experienced was disembarking a ship while at anchor and a storm was approaching in south korea.

a shocking reality with old world techniques still needed today in the space age and digital society. thank you for publishing topic within your passions to teach and inform.

Tks Sal. Very dangerous job. The videos I saw of pilots in rough weather were just frightening. Salute them all. Do you have any idea of the casualty rate for pilots? I am sure the community is not big so any loss will be very significant. Another great video and provided more things to look at as I am always interested in how pilots do their job. Mainly used pilots for handling tugs but I was navigator on a sub going into Tampa and glad we had a pilot as it was low visibility and so flat and no fixed navaids available. This was in 1987.

There are many rules concerning the Pilot ladder - Man Ropes - Treads and Spreaders etc. One that I always thought should have been added - is - the nwearing of a absailing type Harness. All pilots are to don a harness with a "D" ring at the back - capable of taking the weight of a heavy man (whatever that might be) - the vessel will deploy a Rope with a Carabineer on the end down to the Pilot vessel. On leaving the Pilot vessel or descending the ladder The pilot MUST clip the carabineer on to the "D" ring at all times. The seaman at the top of the Pilot ladder taking in or paying out the slack at all times. Please excuse any incorrect wordage as I suffer from head injury (but you must have a good idea of what I am saying))

Sal, Its always sad to hear about accidents of any type on ships and sadder to hear about a death. I, as you know, worked as a naval architect and marine engineer. During my career I boarded vessels using a Jacob's ladder, a rope basket, a powered hoist and by the accommodation ladder. Each method has it's pluses and minuses. It is not easy to climb a Jacob's ladder. You need to transfer on when the boat is at it's crest and scramble up the first few rungs to assure you don't get hit by the pilot boat. Getting off is the exact opposite. I hated the powered hoist because you only had about ten feet of ladder and then it was two wires. If the hoist broke, there was nothing to climb. I boarded a 188,500 DWT tanker in the Santa Barbara Channel at night from a crew boat using a winch ladder. More than one Pilot refused to use the winch ladder. The rope basket was terrifying. You had to run across the deck, grab onto the basket and secure your footing. I swear that my finger prints were embedded into rope for eternity. The crane operator pulled the basket off the deck as fast as he could to assure the boat did not hit the basket. I always thought getting onto accommodation ladders was the safest method. I believe the Welin design with the trap door and attached section of Jacob's ladder was the best arrangement. Of note, it is better if the accommodation ladder is arranged so it slopes from fore (maximum height) to aft (lowest height). If the fore end is lowest it can get buried in a wave. The reason a harness and rope are not used is because of the relative motion of the ship and pilot boat. The pilot has to time his movement from the pilot boat to the peak of the wave, and when the pilot boat is closest to the ship. If the pilot is attached by harness there is a risk of being pulled from the pilot should the timing not be right. There is also a chance of the rope getting tangled in the pilot ladder or with the pilot boat. I believe it would be safer to land a helicopter onto a vessel. I would not think that transferring a pilot by harness or basket would be a good choice. As I recall there are places where baskets and harnesses are used. Bob

I’m honestly surprised this doesn’t happen more often. If had some close calls myself just trying to go from the tug to a barge. I personally know someone who was killed and someone who lost a leg boarding a barge in rough conditions.

Lightweight, very strong helmets and body armor spare thousands of motorcyclists from effects of extremely violent accidents every day.. Maybe a few pilots demonstrating utility and ease of use in a few training vids would help spread the idea. Unlikely to help with the between-hull crushing problem, but for sure would help with head knocks and falls. LED's mounted on the helmet might help with night ops and locating pilots after plunges. Also grappling a self-reeling belaying line tossed from the ship in addition to the Jacob's ladder, then hooking it up to a body harness before transferring to the ladder might be an easy, smart option. At least in foul weather. It took U.S. bull riders a long time to accept safety gear, but nowadays wearing full head and neck protection isn't considered unusual. Just automatic thoughts based on zero marine experience... -S

Great video from Houston

My condolences so sad. I was a petroleum inspector for a couple decades I had to do this when the weather was too bad to fly out so very rough seas. first time my training was the guys on the boat saying wait for one of the biggest waves grab ahold and climb like hell because you don't know if the next wave will be bigger and you will get smashed between the two vessels. I preferred the basket ride just got slammed with the deck a couple times by bigger waves but better than getting smashed between vessels or going in the water with big propellers turning.

Our good friend Emil was a pilot in the Panama Canal and said one of the scariest part was the small amount of space between the ship and the canal (1 to 2 feet on big boats). And all the tourists were lined up along the rails.

I've joined a few ships while they have been underway. In various sea states and conditions, You need to be fully focused and have all your wits about you. Marine pilots are the best and rarely take unnecessary risks, My condolences to his family ,friend's and colleagues.

This has been in my Favorites for years: a video called "strait pilot rough seas" by baykpost. Haunting though.

about 3 paragraphs in, listening to you reading from a press release, my mind starts to drift...My mind reads faster than you can read out loud...

Very good video,I was responsible for assisting LA Port pilots exiting vessels for fuel and liquid transfers. We hoisted gangway as the pilot and or USCG personel were first to go ashore. Very dangerous,, great job!

So sad. Terrible for the family🙏🏻💔

My condolences to the family ,from Michael Cassar ex instructor Nautical school Malta.

My heart goes out the that pilots family!

Having joined a ship under way in this manner, I can confirm it's scary shit. You have to get your timing right and be confident about your handholds and initial foot placement, any second guessing or hesitation will get you killed real quick. A friend of mine ended up in the drink once, luckily he didn't get crushed between the hulls and got picked up ok. Could have ended very differently though.