Navigation and Pilotage
Vessel Safe Working Loads
With the newer and more powerful tugs now available for ship docking, there have been a number of occurrences where bitts and fairleads have been damaged as a result of insufficient information on their safe working load (SWL). To date we have been fortunate in that the only damage has been to the bitts and fairleads. The concern of the Pacific Pilotage Authority and BC Coast Pilots is that a fairlead might give way in the future at a critical juncture in the berthing operation causing major damage to the ship or even shore equipment such as loaders or gantries.
The classes of vessel that are most impacted are:
-
Container vessels, Panamax and above
-
Capsize and Panamax bulk carriers
-
Panamax and Aframax tankers.
For this reason PPA is again stressing the importance of advance information of safe working loads which can be shared in advance with pilots and which will also be maintained on a data base for future reference.
A few picture examples of recent damage incurred.
Pilotage - Olympic Planning
The Pacific Pilotage Authority and BC Coast Pilots have developed a contingency plan to ensure that pilotage services are delivered in a timely manner. Between February 6 and March 6, 2010, industry support for the following operational adjustments are requested:
- One (1) extra hour added to the change/dispatch time for all Vancouver based assignments.
- The possibility of Pilots boarding by a vessel's seaside gangway while berthed in Vancouver's Inner Harbour
- The PPA night dispatch (1900 to 0700) will be manned from home offices.
SMIT Acquires Minette Bay Ship Docking
Smit Internationale NV has announced that it has completed the acquisition of all shares of Minette Bay Ship Docking Ltd. in Prince Rupert, Canada.
Minette Bay is active in the port of Prince Rupert with three ASD tugs. Minette Bay honorably performed the shipdocking services for Ridley Island Coal Terminal for 25 years. This acquisition enhances SMIT Marine Canada’s current harbour towage operations on the West Coast of Canada.
PPA Tariff for 2010
The new tariff effective January 1, 2010 is published in the Canada Gazette Part II. The Pacific Pilotage Authority will increase its general tariff by 3%, increased the northern travel charge and implemented a new charge of $25 per boarding to fund portable Pilotage units for the pilots.
Pacific Pilotage Tariff Amendment - Aug 2009
The Transport Minister has approved a tariff amendment effective August 1, 2009. The revised tariff introduces a different unit charge for vessels 226m or more in overall length. The new formula for vessels in this category is $3.0029 multiplied by the pilotage plus $0.00878 multiplied by the gross tonnage of the ship.
The new unit charge enables the elimination of the Seymour Narrows pilotage charge on vessels 215 m or more.
View the Pacific Pilotage Tariff - August 2009.
More Articles...
JPAGE_CURRENT_OF_TOTAL