The bridge organisation should be such that on the pilot's arrival no break-up of procedures or communication occurs. The pilot should relieve the
master at the con, after a short mutual briefing of the revised docking/passage plan and familiarisation with the location ofbridge equipment, controls and status.
An exchange ofinforrnation would already have taken place well in advance via fax, so that both master and pilots are fairly briefed upon their initial meeting. The exchange ofa few words, both technical and informal, should help them to reach the necessary human contact which I deem essential to achieve a degree of human relationship, and consequent mutual trust.
An important role is the ability ofthe master and officer to assist the pilot, particularly in the case of any abnormality such as the break-up of communication with tugs, VTS, meeting traffic, or machinery, gear failure (own or that of another meeting ship). There is a global need to improve the crucial efficiency of communication between the master/officers/crew and pilot The master should be able to understand orders given to the tugs or dock master by the pilot. An improved standard marine vocabulary covering modern pilotage practices should be used. I have now, over the years, gained enough knowledge to understand commands in a variety of language. This is, however, not a solution and cannot be expected from all masters- itis sometimes safer to have no knowledge of a language than a little knowledge with chances of misunderstandings or confusion.
Some form of error control should be possible without offending the pilot. A master's interference during pilotage may, under certain circumstances, be premature and do more harm than good. In other cases, however, a lack of communication or action by the master can be a major factor leading towards an accident. The master must, therefore, balance very carefully between error controll supervision on the one hand and avoidance ofcausing undue interference on the other. The application of good human relations and an open association with the pilot helps very much in this respect. Neither the pilot nor the master should become too self-imposed, and mutual consideration should prevail between the two.
As a master, I have observed pilots handling ships in a multitude of different styles. As such I have forged my own opinions and use every opportunity to do my own Shiphandling. In many cases I try to use such experience to discuss matters with the pilot at the onset of the passage and we often gain mutual benefit in this way. The shiphandler must be patient and alert to noises and vibrations. Some of them prefer the old gyro repeaters clicking at every half degree to give them an idea of the rate oftum (the need to turn on to an analogue rate of turn indicator may distract his senses). Watching the ship's wake may also be the best indicator ofthe proximity to the bottom. In shallow and narrow canals, I have sometimes encountered pilots insisting on maintaining full rpm, resulting in heavy vibrations and poor steering, mainly due to
increased interaction and substantial speed loss. After insisting on a reduction of engine speed, a striking improvement in ship handling characteristics and a damping of the vibrations could often be observed.
A master may view squat with a somewhat different eye from apilot. Unlike a pilot, a master sees a variety of canals, rivers and bars where vessels behave very differently and the handling method may vary greatly.
The master also concerns himself particularly about the resulting damage from any form of grounding.
Even paint damage can bring serious consequences to the owners and this is often not fully appreciated by pilots. Underkeel clearance may become a rather sup ertluous word in areas such as the Orinoco, River Plate, Surinam River or the Amazon Northern Bar to name but a few areas where deep draft vessels feel strong vibrations, at times undergoing an alarming loss of speed and difficulty in steering, because of the extremely dense water layer on the bottom(floc),the echo sounder indicating zero underkeel clearance.
Such loss of speed may well not indicate grounding.
It indicates that the vessel is navigating in denser muddy waters, the echo sounderbeingunableto detect the bottom. A heavy sounding rod would probably dig deeper than a lighter one. A reduction of engine speed by a few revolutions may often have the effect of reducing vibrations and improving steering.
When crossing a bar at the peak of the tide, planning and maintaining a safe speed is essential in order to cross it before the ebb catches up, thus avoiding becoming 'planted on a falling tide'.
Charterers often seek protection under C/P terms as 'safely aground' to detach themselves from responsibility for the consequences of 'sailing in navigable mud or customary groundings'.
Master-pilot and YTS relationship
Basically, a VTS functions as an aid and assistance to the on board decision making process, monitoring progress and giving advance warning of potential danger. As such, a YTS operated by qualified and experienced mariners with the necessary tools at their disposal can greatly improve the effic iency oftraffic flow, by keeping track of other ships and advising those ships under jurisdiction of local conditions, about hazards of various sorts and as an aid for confirmation of passing agreements. There are a great many YTS systems in operation. Their control of ships ranges from a purely informative overview oftraffic with interference in emergencies or contravention of Collision Regulations only (such as Dover Strait), to almost full control ofthe ships (such as navigation in fog or remote pilotage in certain rivers and estuaries).
Accident prevention
Accidents in congested waters, particularly port approaches, are numerous. Very often they are caused by failure to understand another vessel's intentions.
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VHF - which could be invaluable in such situations - is often misused. In fact, misunderstandings using this equipment have contributed to many mishaps or casualties. YTS systems are still non existent or not adequate in many parts of the world and the intro duction of radar transp onders would offer valuab le help in this field.
Arrivals at busy pilot stations should be programmed in such a way that ships pick up their pilots in a given order. Although it is often more convenient for a group of pilots to board arriving vessels within quick succession, collision hazards should be taken into consideration. To avoid such problems, groups of arriving ships should be given sequence numbers to govern their arrival order. An experienced pilot or YTS controller should assign such numbers taking into account the position of various appro aching and dep arting ships, possible tidal windows, their types and size, bearing in mind that a larger, deeper vessel will approach more slowly and will need additional sea-room. Such advice should be given sufficiently ahead oftime and the YTS should help the masters of the ships concerned to identify each other by giving them their relative position. Such systems are customarily implemented very well in certain areas of the world. There are, however, still many regions where no such plans exist.
Manoeuvres to pick up or drop offa pilot are often the cause of misunderstandings and confusion to other ships. Unless efficient means of communication and identification exist, itis good practice to give a security call on the appropriate VHF channel, identifying the vessel and giving broad indications of intentions. For example - 'this is tanker 'Nonesuch' dropping off the pilot at 'Wherever', proceeding up channel and standing by on channels 16 and 13'. Some pilots are constrained by regulations to leave orjoin a ship at a designated station without allowance for weather conditions. When seas are heavy at the station, the pilot's life may be endangered and the master is sometimes obliged to make a wide turn to give a maximum lee when approaching shallow waters, or confusing other ships, thus jeopardising both pilot and ship, rather than dropping off the pilot earlier or picking him up (under circumstances) further inshore.
Passage planning with limited information
A practical example to highlight the need for local knowledge in certain areas, particularly rivers where huge changes can be expected:
Rivers, in particular their approaches, should be considered as 'living things', with a character and behaviour of their own, particularly such as the huge Amazon delta. The following account highlights the need for local knowledge and shows a particular side of a master's profession, where intuition and observation has to make good for a lack of local information.
In certain areas of the world the master may be left on his own, without the help oflocal pilots, when transiting an area where local knowledge is most needed, such as ariverbar, This would not really be a problem for a master who has had previous experience in the area. But with the trend, nowadays, towards large numbers of tramp ships, increasing ports and frequent reliefs, it is quite common for a master to sail for the first time in a given area. As an example, deep draft vessels are often bound for upriver ports and have to negotiate the Amazon estuary where huge seasonal changes take place. There are normally no local pilots available and even the latest updated charts may not show the current channel. The agent sends the master a presumably updated position of various buoys marking the canal ofCurua. A part ofthis area - a 22 miles stretch leading to the open sea - has to be negotiated. Tidal information may be scarce and sometimes appears contradictory to observations, as ships with 11-28m draft are required to pass through a 22 miles bar with charted depths ranging from about 8-9m to 9-6m at chart datum. Information regarding seasonal and meteorological interactions with the tidal level and streams is almost non-existent. The shifting ofbanks is so poorly documented that for a particular passage through the canal ofCurua, the agent reported new buoy age positions passing over what appeared on up to date British charts to be drying banks. The latest Brazilian charts are impossible to get at short notice and many deep draft tramp ships going to the Amazon receive no prior notice of the intended voyage.
Corrected tidal levels based upon Brazilian publications, which relate only to a single point on the bar are, in my opinion, not accurate enough to cover seasonal and meteorological interaction. Gauges ought to be sited at strategic places and their level given by radio, to allow the master to time his transit through the bar. Local knowledge is essential in such an area and a well defined tidal window ought to be established using experience of the behaviour of such deep draft ships. This should take into account tidal
levels, currents, meteorological conditions, squat and the usual response and behaviour of such ships, evaluating the optimum speed engine setting to avoid the risk of becoming planted on a falling tide or, on the other hand, damaging the bottom due to squat caused by excessive speed.
Critical spots and timing ought also to be properly established, taking into consideration seasonal and m eteorological effects. The limiting draft may also need to be reviewed. Competent pilots ought to be made easily available, without unreasonable deviation.
The Admiralty has suggested that pilots should board at Salinopolis (this - at the time of writing - is not normally done, as it involves a long additional passage through a poorly surveyed area at very high cost, which charterers are not willing to bear). Similar problems occur in other areas, particularly in South America: the Orinoco, Surinam River and Parana are other such examples.
Where information is insufficient it is prudent to leave an extra margin of safety . When proceeding it is advisable to maintain accurate depth records and positions on the chart. In the event of a dispute it is essential that the master can produce evidence of p rud en tnavigation.
Conclusion
Good master-pilot relations are based upon a shared sense of purpose and this is best achieved through practical passage planning. Contingencies should be considered and my advice to masters is to have a competent feel for Shiphandling so that you can take over the handling of the ship if the need arises.
References
Rowe, R.W, The Shiphandler's Guide, The Nautical Institute, second edition 1999.
The Bridge Procedures Guide 1998, International Chamber of Shipping.
Passage Planning - a nautical briefing, The Nautical Institute, 1993.