Last Tuesday, the 3,080 passenger cruise ship, Emerald Princess, approached Nawiliwili Harbor, on Kauai’s southeast coast, in Hawaii. Nawiliwili was the ship’s first port of call after departing from Los Angeles on a 16-night Hawaiian Islands itinerary. The National Weather Service had issued high wind advisories, warning of rough seas raised by the strong easterlies. After several days at sea, many passengers watched from their cabin balconies as they neared the harbor.  A pilot boat arrived nd maneuvered alongside the113,561 gross ton cruise ship to allow the pilot to board to guide her into the harbor.

As the 1,000-foot-long cruise ship rolled, the pilot boat rose and fell in the choppy seas. The harbor pilot attempted to climb the rope boarding ladder attached to the ship’s side. After several attempts, the pilot slipped and fell into the ocean as passengers looked on, startled, from above.

A man overboard call was announced across the ship, and the pilot boat quickly maneuvered back to retrieve the pilot. He was pulled aboard within minutes and, based on passenger reports, did not appear to be injured.

The obvious risks involved in climbing a rope ladder from a bouncing pilot boat, all the way to the main deck of a large ship, are significant. Likewise, the responsibility of harbor pilots to safely advise ships’ captains in bringing their ships into ports is a vastly important task.

Given the myriad hazards associated with ships and the sea, the number of casualties associated with each is relatively small. According ot the International Maritime Pilots’ Association, there are over 2 million instances of ships under pilotage worldwide each year, with 99.95% of them occurring without incident. The International Maritime Pilots’ Association represents over 8,200 pilots. A report covering 1999-2019 identified only 1,046 incidents where pilot error was a contributing factor.

Worldwide, harbor pilots experience an average of two to three fatalities per year due to transfer accidents, such as falling from ladders. Climbing 9-meter (30-foot) ladders in various weather conditions, often at night, presents significant danger.

Despite the low average, the profession remains highly dangerous, with some estimates suggesting a 1 in 20 chance of death over a 40-year career, often due to crushing incidents between boats. There were eight reported line-of-duty deaths for pilots in the United States in the 14 years leading up to 2021.

Harbor Pilot Falls Overboard in 12-Foot Seas From Princess Cruises Ship.

Thanks to Alaric Bond for contributing to this post.