200015 Master/Pilot Information Exchange?

Master/Pilot Information Exchange?
Report No. 200015

Nowadays the Charterers, Shippers and many others in the marine field are looking primarily to their own utmost profitability and secondarily to the safety of the ship, her crew and the environment. The Safety and Quality Management System has been implemented on our ship and found to be very effective and practical, in particular, the requirement for the Master and Pilot to exchange information. One of the main points of the system is "The Master's responsibility, particularly the over-riding authority to deviate from Owners, Charterers and/or Shippers for the sake of the safety and environment protection". However, The experience I have recently had while calling one port puts all the above into jeopardy because of outside parties refusing to listen.

The vessel had been instructed to arrive at the port with a draft of 41.8 feet but, according to my passage plan, a maximum draft of 32.5 feet was possible in the channel. On his embarkation, the Sea Pilot refused to complete the pilotage information card, particularly the part related to under keel clearance while on passage in the channel. He declined this by saying, "I am just concerned in getting to the anchorage, discuss this with the River Pilot". In the anchorage, I decided that I must override the instructions and proceeded to lighten the ship and so brought the draft up to 31.5 feet.

The day after, the ship left the anchorage. The River Pilot came on board and the same scenario occurred. He also declined to answer the question with regard to under keel clearance and, as we were approaching the channel, he said you can discuss it with the Docking Pilot. When the Docking Pilot boarded, to my great surprise, he also refused to discuss about the under keel clearance, he just said that he had been doing the job for many years.

A short while later we were passed over a shoal area and less than one foot under the keel was indicated by Echo Sounder at speed of 4.3 Knots. Had the draft been kept at 41.8 feet as instructed and / or there been had no lighter available to reduce the draft then it is likely that the ship would have run dangerously aground.