Master Pilot Information Exchange

Legally a pilot is held as an advisor to the Master for the safe passage of the vessel through inland waterways, harbours etc, where he is considered to be an experienced navigator and knowledgeable guide for the local area. This becomes particularly important where the knowledge of the ship’s navigators mainly the Master about the local waters in limited.

Therefore the need to carry out a detailed Master-Pilot information exchange cannot be overstressed, particularly when we place so much stress on the fast turn-around, heavier traffic and stressful conditions of work. Bridge being managed by a team ensures that everyone is responsible for his job and works to provide his input for the overall functionality of the work-place. A parallel can be drawn to a human body that by virtue of its various parts is the most efficient system that works today. One part not functioning properly and alarms start ringing in the form of ailments across the body. To this a Pilot can be called a pathogen if he is always treated as an outsider and the team would thus function as having an allergy from him, thus not giving him an acceptance and in place repelling him. On the contrary if he is accepted as a part of the team, the work becomes easier and for him also the functioning becomes easier thus making the overall workplace healthy. One of the easiest ways to be comfortable with each other apart from asking him if he’d like to have something…say a soft drink or water, or perhaps even some lunch / dinner, is to do a formal exchange with him regarding the ship and getting to know from him his intentions regarding the route and also any specific details of the passage and the reasons for his intended route and manoeuvres.

A brief detail of such an exchange can be had from “Bridge Procedures Guide” by ICS detailed in its Annex A1 and A2.

Some of the such items to be covered may be:

v  Communication details

v  Embarking grounds and particulars regarding side and height of pilot ladder, approach speed and course.

v  Use of anchors

v  Berth and Mooring details

v  Tugs to be used, number and power, location / ship’s or tugs lines?

v  Local weather and sea conditions including any currents, state of tide and tidal streams and also the conditions prevalent during the passage and at the berth.

v  Intended route, navigational difficulties to be experienced, and details of navigational facilities and marks including any leading lights etc, that can be used to find out the error of the compasses!!!

v  Duration of the pilotage, speeds to be made, any traffic expected, reporting requirements (though mostly carried out by the pilot, it should not be forgotten that he is now a part of the ship and as such doing the same on behalf of the ship).

v  Any expected change of pilots / mooring master / expected arrival of tugs and position.

v  Any other relevant info to be exchanged including local regulations and details as in Suez / Panama / Kiel Canal and other inland waterways where apart from international law, the national laws are also applicable.

Once the pilot arrives he is as much a part of the bridge team as others on board. He happens to have specialized knowledge and sometimes specialized means of navigation in pilotage waters. The Master may delegate the conduct of the ship to the pilot, who may direct the passage but in all cases the Master remains in full charge for the safety of navigation and his ship. The presence of a pilot does not relieve the Master or other watch keepers from there duties and obligations.

As advised in the “Bridge Procedures Guide”, it would be prudent to send a message to the Pilot station, through the Agent well in advance say 24 hours or 48 hours by e-mail or fax or telex as applicable with all such items that can be checked upon at an early stage through communication. I don’t see a reason why the questionnaire has to be unidirectional…whereby a lot of information is required by the Port / Pilot station in advance, mostly through the agent, though nothing of the sorts has become a practice in the other direction. This would in practice save a lot of time after the pilot embarks the vessel and also the Master and Navigating Officer can form up a better passage plan and a better briefing can be held for all the responsible crew on board in advance. A further point this could save the vessel form is the legal position whereby, most of the pilots refuse to sign on any such information sheet required by the vessel and thus in case of an incident he entirely escapes his part of the blame.

Nonetheless, the preliminary passage plan has to be discussed with the pilot and agreed with him when he boards the vessel. At least the essential grounds must be covered immediately if the time or sea room is less. The same can be discussed in details when the Pilot appears more comfortable in his position at the conn and the traffic doesn’t seems to be bothering so much, either him or yourselves.

It is said communication is vital, a link to maintain a healthy working relationship and team. When we talk of forming a team with the pilot a part of it, I’m sure none of us would like to imagine of a pilot who comes on board and doesn’t even looks at you in the eye and says hard port or hard starboard!!! Gentleman we have reached a stage where we would not like to offer our ships to people who don’t even look at us in the eye….they say lots is communicated through the eye!