Cruise Note - - What does the pilot do?

When a cruise ship is coming into port, those up strolling the deck notice that the ship will slow down and a small boat will approach the side. As the boat approaches, the ship’s crew opens one of the side doors in the hull and a ladder is lower down. Then, as the small boat bounces along in the ship’s wake, someone grabs the ladder and quickly climbs the ladder into the ship. With the pilot safe on board, the ship picks up speed and heads toward the harbor.

Pilots are local officials or persons licensed by the port to assist the ships entering and leaving a port. They are familiar with the local waters and provide guidance on navigation in those waters. Their knowledge goes beyond what is set forth on the navigational charts. They know such things as whether a sandbar has shifted recently, the strength of the current due to recent rainfall, and any movement in the shipping channels. Therefore, a good pilot’s advice is extremely useful to the ship’s captain.

Contrary to popular belief, the captain does not cede command to the pilot. Rather, the pilot is an advisor. If the captain is familiar with a certain pilot, the captain may go as far as to allow the pilot to give orders to the helmsman steering the ship. However, if it is obvious that the pilot just got his job through political patronage, the captain may well ignore him. The captain retains overall responsibility and thus the argument that an accident was the pilot’s fault does not get the captain very far.

There is one exception to this rule. In the Panama Canal, the captain does cede responsibility to the pilot. This is a recognition that navigating that system of locks requires a specialized expertise.

There are several types of pilots. For example, in New York, there are pilots who specialize in bringing the ships into and out of the finger piers along the Hudson River. They are called “docking pilots”. There are also pilots who are familiar with the shipping lanes and bringing the ship out to sea after the docking pilot has brought the ship into the river. They are known as “river pilots”. This is why passengers leaving Manhattan’s Passenger Ship Terminal will see the ship slow down once it is headed down river and someone climb into a tug boat that has come along side. Then, once the ship is out of the harbor, a small boat comes along side and yet another person departs.