Page 15 - Navigator 2021

TO OPTIMALLY SERVE SHIPPING TRAFFIC COMING IN FROM THE NORTH SEA TO NAVIGATE THE WESTERN SCHELDT, THE PILOTAGE OF THE MANY SHIPS AT PILOT STATION STEEN- BANK – LOCATED 23 MILES OFF THE ENTRANCE – HAS BEEN COORDINATED FROM SHORE INSTEAD OF FROM ABOARD THE PILOT VESSEL AT SEA FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS NOW. TO THIS END, A SO-CALLED PILOT STEENBANK IS POSITI- ONED DIRECTLY NEXT TO THE TRAFFIC CONTROLLER OF RIJKSWATERSTAAT AT THE SCHELDT COORDINATION CEN- TRE IN VLISSINGEN. “THIS CONCEPT ALLOWS US TO PILOT MORE SHIPS IN THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME.”
Johan van Oosten is one of the 32 Pilots Steenbank (PS pilot) of the Scheldemonden region and an instructor for training new PS pilot recruits as well. His duty as a PS pilot is a parttime task. “Out of every three sailing weeks, I spend on average half a week as a PS pilot on shore. The remainder of the time I operate as a regular pilot. . That combination constitutes a major advantage. As a PS pilot, you know the total picture.”
SMOOTH AND SAFE PILOTAGE
Van Oosten clearly explains the duties of a PS pilot. “From
shore, I ensure the safe and smooth pilotage of all ships that present themselves at the Steenbank pilot station. At the Scheldt Coordination Centre, I sit directly next to Rijkswaterstaat’s traffic controller for Traffic Centre Steenbank. I purely focus on piloting ships; the traffic controller regulates the shipping traffic. The ships report to him. During that intake, he also asks the ship about the freeboard, which is important to us. In principle, we pilot with the SWATH vessel if that freeboard is more than three metres. Below that, we use the launch.”
SWATH VESSEL 24 HOURS AT SEA
The 24-hour presence of a SWATH vessel at sea is an important aspect of the Pilot Steenbank concept. The catamaran operates supplementary to the pilot vessel and launch that are permanently present at the pilot station. Van Oosten: “A SWATH vessel offers pilots more comfort, is faster and can continue operating in greater wave heights. Thanks to its constant deployment, we can pilot more ships in the same amount of time. For example, a ship that requires pilotage needs to slow down less and make less leeway when the SWATH vessel is used in comparison to the fast launch. Furthermore, in my planning as a PS pilot I am able to line up ships side by side. We next pilot the larger ships with the SWATH vessel, the smaller ones with the launch. This allows us to handle the pilot- process the ships much faster and safer.”
OPTIMAL ORDER
“In mutual consultation with us, the traffic controller communicates the time of pilotage and the height for hanging the pilot ladder to each ship,” continues Van Oosten about the cooperation. “Next, the ship needs to report to the traffic controller again five miles
‘Sitting next to each other brings so much added value’
Yves Tonnaer works for Rijkswaterstaat (Di- rectorate-General for Public Works and Water Management) as a traffic controller at the Scheldt Coordination Centre in Vlissingen. Together with his colleagues, he covers the waters from halfway
below Rotterdam to the port of Terneuzen, which has been divided into various sections. “In every section, we monitor and register all shipping movements using the radar.” One of them is Traffic Centre Steenbank. “This is where the first intake takes place for the ships that arrive from the north. Among other things, we inquire about their draught, destination, number of people on board, the cargo, whether a pilot is required, etc. Based on that information, I check whether the intended berth is clear and whether a pilot is available and notify the ship that it can proceed or perhaps needs to wait.”
GOOD MUTUAL AGREEMENTS
Ships are obliged to monitor VHF channel 64 of the Scheldt Coordination Centre, says Tonnaer. “However, we are not permitted to offer a ship course and sailing advice. That is the pilot’s authority.” It is one of the main reasons behind the colla- boration with the Dutch Maritime Pilots’ Organisation. On the last five miles to the pilot station, the Pilot Steenbank pilot takes over from the traffic controller to provide course and sailing advice via VHF channel 79 Pilot Steenbank.
“Having a pilot sit right next to me took some getting used to at first,” continues the traffic controller. “We are two separate organisations. But in the end, the transition went really well. The responsibilities of both parties have been clearly establis- hed in agreements. We frequently consult with one another, for example regarding the most convenient order of inbound and outbound ships. Sitting next to each other brings so much added value.”
MUTUAL ANTICIPATION
Tonnaer: “As a traffic operator, you subconsciously also pick up on the communications of the Pilot Steenbank pilot sitting next to you. You can next anticipate this. The same of course holds true the other way around. Thanks to the short lines of commu- nication, shipping traffic can be handled faster. For example, I know much better when a pilot is available. This used to require a telephone call. Now, I simply ask my neighbour.”
YVES TONNAER
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