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Ship Pilots News

27 Nov 2023

ASGARD: Developing an Anti-Spoofing Weapon

Image courtesy ASGARD

Saab and GMV are collaborating in ASGARD, an EU-funded project that aims to improve maritime security when using GNSS and OSNMA. The project addresses the growing threat of GNSS spoofing and other cyberattacks on navigation systems used in the maritime industry.The ASGARD project, run by Saab and GMV, is an ambitious European Union (EU) initiative that aims to develop advanced technologies to improve Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA) security in maritime environments.

12 Jan 2023

UK Ship Pilot Dies in Transfer Accident

© Ralf Gosch / Adobe Stock

A U.K. ship pilot has died as result of an accident during a transfer from a pilot launch to a large oceangoing vessel on the east coast of Northern England.The accident occurred on January 8, 2023 in the Humber Estuary, the UK Maritime Pilots’ Association (UK MPA) said in a statement. The U.K.'s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has opened a full investigation into the cause of the incident.Killed in the incident was Capt. Francesco Galia, who served two decades as a pilot.The tragedy highlights the daily risks and challenges of maritime pilots…

25 May 2022

KOTUG and SCI Kick Off Mariner Training Partnership

(Photo: KOTUG)

The Training & Consultancy division of KOTUG International (KOTUG) and U.S. maritime education and maritime training provider the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) entered into a strategic partnership to offer exclusive training of tug masters, ships’ crews, river barge shippers, and pilots by certified KOTUG trainers at SCI training facilities across the United States. The partnership was officially kicked-off by hosting Moran Towing Corporation for a week of ASD operator training assisted by Riven Marine founder Captain Jay Rivera.Since 2019…

16 Feb 2021

Cold Snap Shuts Houston Ship Channel

Illustration only - Credit:wifesun/AdobeStock

A deep freeze that hit Texas over the weekend wrought more havoc on the U.S. energy sector on Tuesday, curbing output in the largest U.S. oil field, knocking out a fifth of the nation's refining capacity, and shutting a key shipping channel in Houston.Historic cold has knocked out roughly 4 million barrels per day of refining capacity, more than one-fifth of national capacity, according to Reuters calculations. About 500,000 to 1.2 million bpd of crude production has also been affected…

28 Jan 2020

Houston Ship Channel Reopens After 7-hour Closure

The stern of the 81-foot fishing vessel Pappy's Pride appears above the waterline beside the vessel's inflatable life raft after a collision near the Galveston jetties in Galveston, Texas, Jan 15, 2020. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Station Galveston)

The Houston Ship Channel reopened on Tuesday morning after a seven-hour closure to raise a fishing vessel that sank in mid-January near the waterway's entrance in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the Houston ship pilots association.The ship channel, a 53-mile waterway connecting the busiest U.S. petrochemical port with the Gulf of Mexico, reopened at 10:15 a.m. local time on Tuesday, according to the Houston Pilots, the ship pilots association.Two people aboard the 81-foot (25…

28 Jan 2020

Houston Ship Channel Shut on Tuesday Morning for Salvage

The Houston Ship Channel was shut on Tuesday morning to raise a fishing vessel that sank in mid-January near the waterway's entrance in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the Houston ship pilots association.The ship channel, a 53-mile (85 km) waterway connecting the busiest U.S. petrochemical port with the Gulf of Mexico, is scheduled to reopen at 10 a.m. local time (1600 GMT) on Tuesday, according to Houston Pilots, the ship pilots association.Two people aboard the 81-foot (25-meter) fishing vessel Pappy's Pride remain missing following the collision with the 600-foot (183-meter) tanker Bow Fortune on Jan. 14, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. (Reporting by Erwin Seba Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

19 Sep 2019

Vessel Traffic Halted on Beaumont Ship Channel

Ship pilots stopped moving vessels along the Beaumont, Texas, Ship Channel due to severe weather caused by Tropical Storm Imelda, said the U.S. Coast Guard on Thursday.Imelda, officially downgraded to a tropical depression, dumped 24 inches (61 CM) of rain on east Texas is the past 24 hours, closing Exxon Mobil Corp's Beaumont refinery and chemical plant. (Reporting by Erwin Seba; editing by David Evans)

27 Sep 2018

Proposed Rate Hikes for Houston Ship Pilots Under Fire

No less than 15 shipping companies, many of them top 10 liner companies, have written to Port of Houston Chairman Janice Longoria to reject the latest call for substantial rate hikes on the Houston Ship Channel. Local pilots already earn salaries that approach $500,000 annually.Like any other major U.S. port, registered foreign flag vessels must use a local state pilot on the Houston Ship Channel. According to local shipping stakeholders, the rates for those mandated services have spiraled more than 50% in the past 14 years alone.The rate increase proposal, a seemingly regular event at most U.S. ports over time, has on this occasion, struck a raw nerve at precisely the wrong time for industry.

23 Aug 2018

Damen RSD Tug Undertakes Towing Tests with Svitzer

Towing tests in the Port of Felixstowe (Photo: Damen)

Fresh from a European tour that has taken her to the shores of Malta, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, Damen’s new RSD Tug 2513 Innovation has taken part in towing tests in the Port of Felixstowe, U.K. The intention of the tests was to allow the Innovation to undertake a number of tows, in various positions, in a controlled and safe manner, gradually building up until she took on a powered indirect on ultra large container vessel (ULCC) the OOCL Hong Kong…

12 Jun 2017

World’s Biggest Containership Eases into Felixstowe

The Madrid Maersk at Felixstowe's Berth 8 photographed by Captain Prithvi Singh, SCS pilot at Harwich Haven Authority, who piloted the Madrid Maersk out of Felixstowe.

The Madrid Maersk, the latest in a long line of record-breaking containerships, arrived on June 6, 2017 at the Port of Felixstowe’s newest quay, its first port of call in Northern Europe on its maiden voyage. As the world’s current biggest containership (weighing in at 214,286 metric tons, and a massive 399 meters long, with a beam of 58.6m), the Madrid Maersk is expected to set a record for carrying the maximum number of standard-sized containers (TEU) on its return leg to Asia.

20 Jul 2015

Barge Collision Spill Impacts Houston Ship Channel

A section of a key Gulf Coast waterway was shut after two barges collided Monday, setting one afire and possibly spilling a gasoline additive near the entrance to the Houston Ship Channel, the U.S. Coast Guard said. The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), which runs between barrier islands and the coast of the U.S. mainland in the Gulf of Mexico, was shut from where it intersects the Houston Ship Channel to Mile Market 350 on the ICW. The Houston Ship Channel itself, which supplies the nation's busiest petrochemical port, remained open after the collision shortly after 1 a.m. local time (0600 GMT). Early media reports erroneously said a channel section had been closed, but it was unaffected.

13 Aug 2014

Woods Hole Group Clinches Multi-Year O&M Contract

Woods Hole Group will be working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services for the operation and maintenance of Physical Oceanographic Real Time System along the East Coast of the USA, and along the Gulf of Mexico coast in Texas and Louisiana. NOAA PORTS® is a network of sensors in ports and harbors providing access to information improving maritime commerce and safety. * Houston-Galveston, TX (http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/ports/index.html?port=hg) Woods Hole Group also was awarded the five year Operation and Maintenance Contract to support four NOAA National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON) stations in Texas.

13 May 2014

Europe Grapples with Threat of Ships Sailing Blind

Europe has yet to fully wake up to the danger of maritime disasters caused by signal jamming and blackouts of satellite navigation devices, say the proponents of a back up system on trial in British and Dutch ports. Ships increasingly rely on systems that employ satellite signals to find a location or keep exact time including the Global Positioning System (GPS) and GLONASS. But experts say such systems are vulnerable to signal loss from solar weather effects or radio and satellite interference and can also be affected by intentional jamming by criminal gangs, nation states or potentially from militant groups. The General Lighthouse Authorities of the UK and Ireland (GLA) is pioneering a radio-based back-up prototype called eLoran.

20 Aug 2013

PORTS System to be Installed in Jacksonville

Photo: NOAA

Woods Hole Group will be working with the Jacksonville Marine Transportation Exchange (JMTX) for the installation, operations and maintenance of a large-scale Physical Oceanographic Real Time System (PORTS) in Jacksonville, Florida. NOAA PORTS is a network of sensors in ports and harbor providing access to information that improves maritime commerce and safety. Upon completion, JXPORTS networks will be the second largest PORTS installation in the country. It will provide invaluable information to the users of St.

03 May 2013

Bar Pilots, New Orleans, Choose Raven TMS

Raven Aerostar say that the Associated Branch Pilots of the Port of New Orleans (Bar Pilots) has selected its Traffic Management System. The system provides increased situational intelligence for Port of New Orleans ship pilots. Raven Aerostar's marine navigation aid systems are used by ship pilots in over a dozen ports in the U.S. The Bar Pilots recently ordered 35 Raven Traffic Management Systems, including the company's latest rate of turn sensor, Revolve. Revolve is a marine navigation aid developed by Raven Aerostar to enhance safety by enabling local ship pilots to better predict the future position of vessels as they maneuver waterways and ship traffic safely to dock. "This is our second purchase from Raven Aerostar," explained Capt.

29 Oct 2012

DNV Assists Belgium Towards LNG Bunkering

The Flemish government and the port authorities of Antwerp, Zeebrugge, Ghent and Fluxys have published a feasibility study on LNG bunkering. DNV provided a market forecasting study, a regulatory analysis and modelled the LNG supply logistics. The Flemish government is now acting on DNV recommendations to ensure the safe introduction of LNG bunkering at Flemish seaports. The market study led to a forecasted LNG bunkering demand for each port derived from shipping and world energy market forecasts, while the logistics model allows the ports to simulate, compare and calculate costs of different LNG bunkering supply chain options. The combined results serve as strategic and tactical decision support tool for the ports in developing their LNG bunkering infrastructure.

08 May 2012

Virginia Ship Pilots – New Board Member Appointed

Christine Piersall: Photo credit Williams Mullen

Christine N. Piersall was appointed to this position by the City of Portsmouth Circuit Court Judges and replaces Bruce Cherry, who has been on the Board for more than 33 years. This nine-member board examines and licenses the pilots responsible for the safe passage of ships in Virginia's major shipping lanes and waterways. The Board was created in 1783 and was initially chartered by the King of England in the 1600's. Ms. Piersall is a partner with the law firm of Williams Mullen.

12 Oct 2001

MITAGS Provides Training

MITAGS provides ship pilots, maritime organizations and government employees with small arms training, employee awareness, security assessment, security management, chemical, biological, and radiological training for enhanced public and organizational safety and security. Glen Paine, executive director of the Maritime Institute of Technology & Graduate Studies (MITAGS) and Pacific Northwest Maritime Institute (PMI) Seattle, Washington announced that its small arms and other security enhancement training programs are now open to all companies and organizations. "The attack on the United States on September 11, 2001 has created a demand for enhanced security for American citizens, maritime organizations and government officials.

15 Feb 2008

Bill Would Require Ship Pilots to Carry Electronic Charts

A Congresswoman wants ship pilots to be required to carry their own electronic navigation charts to avoid collisions like the one that dumped 58,000 gallons of fuel into the San Francisco Bay, reports indicated. Federal investigators are looking at what role that played in the Cosco Busan crash on Nov. 7. The pilot told investigators he didn't immediately understand some symbols on the ship's charts prior to sideswiping the Bay Bridge. Legislation introduced Thursday by Democratic Rep. Ellen Tauscher, who sits on the Transportation Committee, would mandate Coast Guard regulations requiring pilots to carry their own electronic chart devices, called Portable Pilot Units. Source: AP

27 Apr 2012

SPT Expands Caribbean Ship-to-Ship Oil Transfer Service

Houston based SPT Inc., specialists in ship to ship (STS) transfer (lightering) of crude oil and liquefied natural gas has announced expansion of its STS service for oil majors and traders in the Caribbean. SPT Inc's President Simon Duncan has signed an initial deal with Cayman Island’s Premier Bush to revive crude oil lightering offshore Cayman Brac. This follows new ship to ship transfer capability announced last year in the Bahamas for SPT, building on its permanent ship to ship transfer location in its southern Caribbean base at Aruba. The details of the Cayman arrangements have not yet been finalised, but promise to aid Cayman Brac’s economy with the port benefiting from the additional commerce that visiting ships generate such as replenishment of stores and services.

14 Dec 2006

Fog Halts Houston Ship Channel Traffic

Reuters reported that ships were halted from moving along the 53-mile (85.3 kilometer) Houston Ship Channel to the busiest U.S. petrochemical port on Thursday due to dense fog, said the U.S. Coast Guard. Ship pilots in Texas City, Texas, near the Gulf of Mexico entrance to the channel, and Houston stopped guiding vessels shortly after 1 a.m. CST (0700 GMT) after limited visibility made navigating the waterway unsafe, the Coast Guard said. No time has been set for resuming ship movement, according to the Houston ship pilots association. Tankers running through the channel supply crude oil to refineries in Houston and Texas City, which account for 11.8 percent of U.S. refining capacity. Source: Reuters

29 Mar 2007

PMI Develops Z-Drive Tug Handling Program

The Pacific Maritime Institute, in partnership with Captain Jeff Slesinger, has developed and implemented a three-phase Z-drive Tug Handling Program. The program is oriented towards Captains and Mates that are experienced Tug Operators, but have little or no experience driving Z-drive tugs. Utilizing the Pacific Maritime Institute’s state-of-the-art Tug Simulator, the Program guides operators through a series of “at sea” situations that are specifically designed to focus on and hone the specific skill sets required to operate a Z-drive tug. At the end of the nine day course of instruction, operators come away with a fundamental understanding of, and an ability to perform, the unique boat handling skills required to maneuver Z-drive tugs in light tug, barge, and ship assist work.

28 Aug 2007

New Study Details Economic Benefits of U.S. Seaports

Last year, United States deep-draft seaports and seaport-related businesses generated approximately 8.4 million American jobs and added nearly $2 trillion to the economy, according to a just-completed study by a Lancaster, Pa.-based business consulting service that specializes in port-sector economic impact studies. Based upon 2006 U.S. port cargo statistics and thousands of recent port-sector interviews, Martin Associates late this month completed an in-depth study into the economic impacts of coastal and Great Lakes ports, examining aspects ranging from jobs and wages to business and tax revenues. Of the 8,397,301 Americans working for ports and port-related industries in 2006…