AWP Web Blog

Tokyo MOU has issued a safety bulletin on maintenance and rigging of pilot transfer arrangements.

Marine pilots routinely face high-risk transfers between moving ships and small boats, often in challenging conditions. A single failure in equipment or procedure can result in severe injury or loss of life.

The International Maritime Organisation (IMO), through MSC.1/Circ.1331/Rev.1, has revised the following: Guidelines for the Construction, Installation, Maintenance and Inspection/Survey of Means of Embarkation and Disembarkation to bring them in line with the latest international standards and introduce clearer definitions and safety practices.

The United Kingdom Maritime Pilots’ Association (UKMPA) has launched an interactive online tool to improve compliance with the revised SOLAS Regulation V/23. The visual poster guides all stakeholders in Pilot Transfer Arrangements (PTAs), promoting safer boarding across the global fleet.

The 110th session of the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 110) was held from 18 to 27 June 2025. The session adopted SOLAS amendments to improve the safety of transfer arrangements for pilots and other personnel embarking and disembarking ships, and made significant progress on a new non-mandatory code of safety for autonomous ships (MASS Code).

Despite our extensive efforts to prevent brand misuse and document forgery, DNV occasionally encounters such incidents. Although counterfeit certificates represent only a small fraction of our annual issuances, we acknowledge the associated risks. This technical news highlights the issue of counterfeit certificates for pilot ladders and mooring ropes.

Marine Inspectors from Sector Maryland-National Capital Region (NCR) discovered counterfeit pilot ladders during a Port State Control Examination at the Port of Baltimore. The identification plate on the ladder (Figure 1) contained several errors, including referencing ISO 779-1 instead of the correct standard, ISO 799-1, and lacking the ISO 799-1 designation type. Additionally, while the serial number on the ladder matched the accompanying certificate, the number of steps and the length of the ladder did not align with the specifications listed on the certificate

This marine notice aims to raise awareness of the risks involved with getting on and off vessels.

RightShip presents four different case studies to highlight an alarming trend has emerged from incident & inspection data over the last two years with regards to ladders and pilot transfer arrangements.

Since November 2017 several pilots’ lives were placed at risk, in multiple separate incidents where a man rope parted, or its securing point failed. Additionally, AMSA receives several incidents reports on safety issues related to pilot transfer arrangements.