Pilotage News

The Singapore government has recounted the achievements of Maritime Singapore to date to highlight the nation’s successes as a maritime hub in 2023:Total business spending by key maritime companies overseen by MPA exceeded S$4.8 billion, up from S$4.3 billion in 2022. Twenty-five maritime companies established or expanded their operations in Singapore last year. These included maritime services companies and companies setting up sustainability desks in Singapore as part of their…

A fire has broken out on board a Liberian-registered containership off Canada's East Coast, the Canadian Coast Guard said.At around 11 p.m. on Sunday, the MSC Sao Paulo V issued a call for help after a blaze erupted in the engine room of the 294-meter-long vessel. The ship had left Montréal in the morning and was approaching the Les Escoumins pilot station while en route to Portugal when the incident occurred.By Monday afternoon, the containership crew had informed the Coast Guard that the fire was under control…

Turkish tug builder Sanmar at the close of 2023 delivered a fifth tug to Mersin International Port, Turkey’s largest container port.Known as BOĞAÇAY LIX while under construction at Sanmar’s purpose-built eco-friendly shipyard, the newbuild multi-purpose Boğaçay Class tugboat, renamed MIP-5 by its new owners, is based on the exclusive-to-Sanmar RAmparts 2400-SX MKll design from Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd.Measuring 24.4m LOA, with a molded beam of 12m, least molded depth of 4.48m and overall maximum draft of 5.5m…

Force Technology won a deal to deliver its SimFlex4 AR solution as part of an extensive upgrade for the Queensland-based maritime simulation and training facility, Smartship Australia, which focuses on professional pilotage training and development. Smartship's facility in Brisbane includes five marine simulators, including two full mission bridges, one Tug bridge, and two-part task simulators.FORCE Technology’s SimFlex simulator was originally selected when Smartship Australia was first established in 2011.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has issued as Pilot Advisory Note advising coastal pilots and pilotage providers about the existence of counterfeit pilot ladders and associated certification.In March 2019, one of AMSA’s Port Marine Surveyors identified a pilot ladder onboard a vessel which appeared to be non-compliant with the pilot transfer requirements. The associated inspection certificate presented at the time of the AMSA inspection, suggested that the ladder…

The November edition of Marine News magazine highlighted a selection of the most notable American newbuilds delivered of 2023—from a first-of-its-kind green towboat, to the lead vessel in a series of game-changing ships to train U.S. mariners.Empire StateAs the lead vessel in a series of five new training ships being constructed to serve America's state maritime academies, Empire State is easily one of the most important U.S.-built vessels delivered in recent memory.Built by Philly Shipyard for the U.S.

A report into the security of Western Australia's supply chains has recommended policy and regulatory reforms to support Australian-owned shipping lines competing for domestic sea-freight work.The recommendation has been made in a report by the Western Australian (WA) Government's Shipping and Supply Chain Taskforce. Co-chaired by Kyle McGinn and Jessica Stojkovski, the Taskforce was established following the floods in South Australia in early 2022 that cut off supplies of essential…

A severe drought choking major rivers in the Amazon rainforest has disrupted ship traffic near the region's biggest city and pushed up costs for northern shipping routes, raising risks for corn exports in coming months.The unusual heat and dryness, linked to the mass deaths of fish and river dolphins, has already limited local communities'access to food and drinking water, leading the federal government to set up a humanitarian task force. Officials are now warning the thinning rivers could disrupt grains exports in the region."There is concern about shipping part of the corn harvest…

The Laurentian Pilotage Authority (LPA), based in Montreal, Canada, provides pilotage services in Canadian waters in and around the province of Quebec where cold weather can often be an issue for marine operators. So when it came time to order a new pilot boat, the LPA sought a vessel that could stand up to the region’s frigid conditions.The pilots turned to Estonia-based Baltic Workboats for the design and construction of the ice-capable Shipeku, a new 17-meter aluminum pilot…

Pilot groups and port authorities have worked together to grow East Coast ports in a safe and environmentally responsible way. This growth has happened under strict safety and environmental regulations, including seasonal vessel speed regulations imposed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to protect North Atlantic right whales (NARW). Last year, however, without sufficient scientific or economic impact data, NOAA proposed radical changes to these regulations.

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has published a Proposed Rule in the Federal Register outlining U.S. Great Lakes pilotage rates for the 2024 shipping season.The new rates seek to generate revenue for each of the three U.S. Great Lakes pilot associations by implementing hourly charges for pilotage services according to geographic area. Pilotage rates are paid by vessel operators serving Great Lakes ports.The Coast Guard proposes to increase the overall cost of U.S. Great Lakes pilotage in 2024 compared to 2023 by $1.9 million or 5%.

Maritime NZ has issued a detention notice against a log carrying vessel, currently anchored off Tauranga.On Monday 24 July, the Panamanian flagged Achilles Bulker was departing Tauranga, bound for China when it encountered steering problems. It was subsequently determined that the rudder had disconnected from the ship during the outbound pilotage.The vessel remains anchored off Mount Maunganui, and the rudder was recovered by divers last week and brought to shore.Due to the rudder failure, the Achilles Bulker will need to be towed to a dry dock for repairs.Maritime NZ is working closely with the Bay of Plenty Regional Council and the…

The Panama Maritime Authority has submitted its accident investigation report on the Ever Given to the IMO which includes the conclusion that “the Captain has command of the ship at all times.”On 23 March 2021, the Suez Canal was blocked for six days after the grounding of Ever Given between March 23 and March 29, 2021. The 20,000 TEU container vessel was struck by strong winds and ended up wedged across the waterway with its bow and stern stuck in the canal banks, blocking all traffic until it could be freed.A critical time period in the incident occurred at about 07:38 HRS / LT.

An interim report from an ongoing Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigation has detailed the sequence of events of a loaded iron ore carrier’s grounding in a channel while departing Port Hedland, Western Australia in 2022.The interim report details factual information but contains no analysis or findings.In the early hours of April 9, Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Hagen Oldendorff departed its berth at Port Hedland, with a harbour pilot onboard. About 50 minutes after departure…

The Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) has closed the port to large ships because of a strike announced by the Verdi union over wages, it said on Wednesday."Due to the massive restrictions to be expected from the announced warning strikes, the administration has decided to block the Elbe for ships requiring pilotage from around 10 a.m. today until further notice," a spokesperson for HPA said.From 5.30 p.m. (1630 GMT) onwards, such ships will no longer be able to leave the port because the crews of boats that bring pilots on board container ships are taking part in the protests…

Seattle shipbuilder Snow & Company on Tuesday launched a new pilot boat it is building for the San Francisco Bar Pilots.The 67-foot-long, all-aluminum vessel Golden Gate was designed by U.K. firm Camarc Design and is capable of speeds up to 30 knots.The vessel is is powered by MAN D2862 LE 438 1,200HP US EPA Tier 4 engines that drive Hamilton HTX52 waterjets through Twin Disc MGX 6599 SC gearboxes. The vessel is also equipped with Northern Lights M944T3F 38kW generators.It has…

Ukraine and Romania have agreed to check the depth of canals off the Danube river which Kyiv uses to export agricultural goods to try to increase the flow of traffic, Ukraine's restoration ministry said on Thursday.The Danube is an important transport route for Ukraine as it tries to export grain and other products following Russia's full-scale invasion a year ago, even though Moscow lifted a blockade of three Ukrainian Black Sea ports last July.Romania said last month it was concerned by signs that Ukraine was dredging the Bystre canal that slices through a shared, ecologically sensitive coas

A new suite of navigation simulators for the Royal Navy will be rolled out this year as part of Project Selborne’s modernization of Royal Navy training.The Kongsberg Digital simulation technology is designed to ensure that Royal Navy personnel can maximize operational effectiveness in all types of situations, from single unit pilotage through to Replenishment at Sea and Task Group maneuvers, day and night and in all weather conditions. The simulators will enable teams to train together with multiple vessels in the same scenarios…

UK boat builder Goodchild Marine Services Limited said it is to build a new pilot boat for Portland Harbour Authority in Dorset. The Great Yarmouth based company will construct an ORC 121 for Portland Port; part of broader investment the port is making to enable larger cruise ships and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships to berth alongside. Scheduled to enter service in 2025, the vessel will be the third pilot boat of its class in the Southwest, built and supplied by Goodchild Marine in recent years.Features of this class of vessel include a beak bow hull design with minimal drag…

The Malaysian Port of Tanjung Pelepas is taking the next step on its digitalization journey, tackling congestion and boosting sustainability with a port information management system (PMIS) powered by artificial intelligence (AI).The Port of Tanjung Pelepas, the 15th busiest port in the world, will deploy Innovez One’s MarineM solution to optimize tug and pilot operations, minimizing delays in the first and last mile of its logistics chains, while simultaneously reducing emissions.Innovez One has already provided port management information systems to major global players…

Metal Shark delivered a welded-aluminum 45 Defiant crew boat to Anchorage Launch Services Company, an Oregon-based operator providing launch, line, pilotage, and cargo services to vessels on the Columbia and Willamette Rivers.Designed in-house by the Metal Shark engineering team and built at the company’s Jeanerette, La., production facility, the 47 x 12 ft. twin-diesel waterjet-powered “Triumph VII” is now in service.“Our captains, crew, and passengers have all been very impressed with the capabilities of our new vessel,” said Alex Scott, COO of Anchorage Launch.

Capt. Brian McAllister, a prominent member of the American maritime industry and a true New York area maritime industry icon, has passed away.The following was posted on the mcallistertowing.com website:"It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved Captain. Brian, who changed the future of McAllister Towing when he bought the company with his brothers and cousins, passed away peacefully this morning at his home. We ask that you keep the McAllister family in your thoughts and hearts during this very difficult time."Capt.

Wärtsilä Voyage acquired PortLink Global, a global port solutions company headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. The move is intended to speed Wärtsilä Voyage along its path towards creating an end-to-end connected maritime ecosystem.The transaction was signed and closed in June 2022.PortLink and Wärtsilä Voyage have partnered in the past – collaborating on projects including the co-development of a Port Management Information System (PMIS) for the largest Mediterranean and African port…