Failing to ensure personal safety when it comes to the maintenance and rigging of pilot
ladders onboard vessels can have dire consequences, according to speakers at an
industry webinar presented by The Nautical Institute (NI).
It was noted that the relative low cost of a good ladder could save lives.
Members of The NI and the International Maritime Pilots’ Association (IMPA) said that they had been concerned for many years at the needlessly high rate of Pilot Ladder casualties, and resulting deaths and injuries.
IMPA recently published its annual Safety Campaign results 2021, which indicated that
non-compliance with long established SOLAS regulations remained high – with little change from previous surveys.
Nick Cutmore,Secretary General of IMPA and Capt John Pearn, AFNI, Chair of the IMPA Safety Committee, used the webinar to report on their findings and discuss how good
seamanship can literally save lives. The Safety Campaign results and guidance on correct Boarding Arrangements are available on the IMPA website.
