200121 Pilot Ladder in Poor Condition

Pilot Ladder in Poor Condition
Report No. 200121

I boarded a Ro-Ro vessel at the Pilot Station. I had to pilot her to the anchorage to await her berth. During my climb on the pilot ladder from the pilot launch up the ship's side I noticed that one side of the ladder lengthened under my weight. I stopped climbing but continued when nothing more happened.

Before I reached the deck level I noticed that below the top step one rope was partly torn off. On deck I asked the chief-officer and the sailor to pull up the ladder and lay it out on deck. On inspection I found that the ropes were wet through. The torn part was disintegrating and had little strength left at all.

On the bridge I informed the Master and he inspected the ladder himself. On his return he commented that I had been very lucky. I learned during the piloting that both pilot ladders were always stored on deck at the boarding positions on the Port and Starboard sides. Secured to the deck and rolled up with a cloth cover and that both ladders were only two years old.

Since the ship just came from being laid-up for about one year, the ladders had apparently not been used for some time and, due to a lack of ventilation, parts of them were saturated and disintegrating.

The following lessons can be learned from this:

(a) Pilot ladders should always be stowed inside a well ventilated storage and not on the weather deck.

(b) Pilot ladders should be carefully inspected before use.

A Pilot's life can depend on it and that has nothing to do with luck.

Two days later, I was very pleased to pilot the same vessel out again and to observe that she was now equipped with two brand new pilot ladders!

Protect Pilots -

ladders last longer if they are looked after!!