Pilot Boat question

[mmpadp]

Do European ports not require a pilot and pilot boat to escort the ship in and out of the harbor like in US ports. Makes me glad we do!

[guernseyguy]

Do European ports not require a pilot and pilot boat to escort the ship in and out of the harbor like in US ports. Makes me glad we do!

They do - but the ship should not have been anywhere near the port - it should have been in open water. And before we get into another US vs Europe discussion....how did Exxon Valdez work out....

[Walney]

:D:D:D;):p

[bobsig]

Do European ports not require a pilot and pilot boat to escort the ship in and out of the harbor like in US ports. Makes me glad we do!

 

This "pilot" question is getting old - no pilot is required when a ship is at sea, ONLY when leaving or entering a port. Concordia was at sea and was NOT entering a port.

[Quasar1011]

This "pilot" question is getting old - no pilot is required when a ship is at sea, ONLY when leaving or entering a port. Concordia was at sea and was NOT entering a port.

 

That's not true. We had a pilot boat while taking the Norwegian Star in May 2010, guide us through part of the Johnstone Strait. That's the strait that separates Vancouver Island from the mainland of British Columbia. The day

that happened was completely a sea day for us.

[bobsig]

That's not true. We had a pilot boat while taking the Norwegian Star in May 2010, guide us through part of the Johnstone Strait. That's the strait that separates Vancouver Island from the mainland of British Columbia. The day

that happened was completely a sea day for us.

 

 

Pilots have a purpose - they are used because of their LOCAL knowledge of LOCAL waters such as ports, inlets, straits, capes, etc. But they don't accompany ships at sea which, again, the Concordia was at sea.

[canmark]

There was a local pilot on the Ruby Princess when sailing through the Strait of Messina (between Sicily and the tip of mainland Italy), so there are circumstances when a pilot is required.

 

That said, there would be no reason for a pilot had the Costa Concordia kept to its charted course.

[TVMet]

On an Alaskan cruise, there is a pilot on the bridge for much of the trip because the ship is not the required distance from land at just about any time in the trip. Many times, there are two pilots who work 12 on / 12 off shifts. Their duties are minimal as the bridge staff does the navigation, but that is the law.

[bobsig]

There was a local pilot on the Ruby Princess when sailing through the Strait of Messina (between Sicily and the tip of mainland Italy), so there are circumstances when a pilot is required.

 

That said, there would be no reason for a pilot had the Costa Concordia kept to its charted course.

 

The operative word is "local" - pilots are used for their local knowledge of local waters and are not used at sea. Agreed, the Concordia was at sea until the Captain decided to get really local...150 meters offshore without a pilot.

[Quasar1011]

Pilots have a purpose - they are used because of their LOCAL knowledge of LOCAL waters such as ports, inlets, straits, capes, etc. But they don't accompany ships at sea which, again, the Concordia was at sea.

 

Well you said

no pilot is required when a ship is at sea, ONLY when leaving or entering a port.

 

We weren't in port at all that day. But yes, we were in a narrow strait- as canmark has also attested to.

 

Needless to say, the Concordia shouldn't have been that close to a coast while at sea.

[StillPooh]

Presumably a harbor pilot was at the controls when the Costa Europa crashed into the pier in Egypt in 2010, killing 3 crew members. So having one doesn't make a ship invincible.

[BlackHawk1]

I would be surprised if the Pilot was the one to dock the ship. He would not necessarily be as familiar with the reaction of the ship to the controls as the ships Captain.

[Quasar1011]

Presumably a harbor pilot was at the controls when the Costa Europa crashed into the pier in Egypt in 2010, killing 3 crew members. So having one doesn't make a ship invincible.

Presumably? Is that investigation not over?

[Presto2]

Last August on the Celebrity Silhouette we were passing between the tip of Italy and the coast of Sicily. We have many photos from our aft cabin of the pilot boat that followed us as we passed through this seemingly narrow gap ---- we weren't stopping in Sicily, but appeared to be close to land.

 

Must admit, the more I read of this incident the sadder I become ------- tragic and sickening come to mind, but I don't think words really express our feelings on this one.