Baltimore is the largest city in the state of Maryland and the ninth-busiest US port, set on a complex network of waters in the Chesapeake Bay.
Besides ports, pilots also manage ships as they approach river estuaries or traverse narrow chokepoints, such as the Suez and Panama canals or the Bosphorus straits in Turkey.
The pilot guides the ship’s captain on the proper routes to take and how to handle the local conditions, the French Federation of Maritime Pilots says on its website.
The job can be dangerous. The pilots arrive and leave the ship by a long hanging ladder – called a “Jacob’s ladder” – from a small boat, or by winch from a helicopter.
When there are two pilots on board, as was the case with the Dali in Baltimore, it’s because the navigation is particularly complicated.
One generally manages the electronic navigation, the other passes instructions to the crew, said Mayor.
The presence of pilots aboard does not relieve the captain of his obligations. The captain remains responsible for the ship’s security, according to international maritime codes.
