200502 Pilot Ladder Insecure

02 Jan 2005 MARS

Pilot Ladder Insecure
MARS Report 200502

Weather: SW winds, 26knts cloudy with showers.

The pilot vessel came alongside the departing ship from Fremantle Port inner harbour. The procedure is to check that the Pilot ladder is correctly rigged as per the guidelines set by the International Maritime Pilots Association, before the Pilot disembarks. The testing of the ladder involves placing weight on the ladder and pulling on the manropes. When the manropes were tested it became apparent that one of them had not been correctly secured.

The pilot then proceeded to instruct and assist the crew to correctly rig both manropes. The pilot proceeded to disembark with no problems. This near miss is a reminder of the dangers that the pilot is exposed to when transferring between pilot launch and ships at sea. Had the Pilot crew not correctly followed procedure and had the pilot not noticed, it is certainly possible that the pilot may have fallen.

I would welcome more reports on pilot boarding arrangements or other pilot related incidents. RB.