What are safe pilot boarding arrangements and pilot ladder requirements?

Pilot boarding arrangements exist because transferring a person between a moving pilot boat and a ship's side is one of the most dangerous routine acts in the industry; pilots are killed most years by defective or badly rigged ladders. SOLAS regulation V/23 and the associated IMO and ISO standards therefore specify the equipment and the way it is rigged, and Port State Control and pilots themselves inspect it critically.

The core equipment is the pilot ladder: a rope ladder with hardwood steps, spreaders to stop it twisting, and no more than two replacement steps, secured at deck level so the load is taken by designated strong points, rigged clear of discharges and within the parallel body of the hull so every step bears firmly against the ship's side. The pilot should not have to climb more than 9 metres. Where the freeboard is greater, a combination arrangement is required: the accommodation ladder rigged leading aft at a slope not exceeding 45 degrees, its lower platform horizontal and secured against the side, with the pilot ladder rigged immediately adjacent and extending at least 2 metres above the platform. Manropes, if requested, must be properly sized and secured; handhold stanchions or bulwark ladders at the deck edge must be firm; the whole arrangement is lit at night; and a lifebuoy with a self-igniting light and a heaving line are kept ready at the position.

The human element is equally regulated. A responsible officer, in communication with the bridge, must supervise the rigging, check it before every use, and attend the pilot up and down. The ship provides a lee: the master adjusts course and speed as agreed with the pilot boat, commonly turning slightly to flatten the sea along the boarding side, and holds a steady speed the boat can match.

Common deficiencies to guard against are chafed or painted-over side ropes, steps secured with improvised seizings or shop-made repairs, ladders shackled to the rails instead of proper strong points, greasy steps, and accommodation ladder platforms resting on the pilot ladder. Any pilot may refuse a non-compliant ladder, and reporting schemes exist for defective arrangements. The professional standard is simple: rig it as though your own life will hang on it, because the pilot's does.