Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association Magazine 69th edition - October/2024 to January/2025
Rio Grande do Norte port boundaries
Dear readers,
In December we were in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte state, accompanying the 46th Brazilian Pilots Meeting. The Brazilian pilots’ first experiences with the 366-meter ships were some of the topics addressed during the event. We also had the participation of Vice-Admiral Ralph Dias, the Maritime Tribunal president, and guest speakers. Prof. Eugenio Mussak, for example, stressed the importance of knowing how to deal with human challenges for the service’s safety. Also, we heard from yachtsman Beto Pandiani on his eight expeditions, highlighting key topics in our profession, such as planning, risk management and teamwork.
We took the opportunity of our trip to Rio Grande do Norte to visit the two local pilotage zones, Areia Branca (ZP-6) and Natal (ZP-7), to portray the pilots’ challenges in the maneuvers, whether environmental or structural. This is the 15th report on the series about Brazilian ZPs and, as usual, the article opens the edition.
We also continued to closely accompany the matter of decarbonization in the maritime industry, both in the transport of goods and regarding cargo loading and unloading in the ports. This time, we mention the efforts of global pilotage to collaborate in the process of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, spearheaded by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
In this edition we lament the death of our colleagues Carlos Hermann, Fabritzio Sequeira and Gilzio Greco. We also publish a special report on pilot Hermann’s legacy. He was responsible for key changes in the organization of the Brazilian Pilotage Council, as revealed in testimonials from his workmates.
Good reading!
Otavio Fragoso is the editor in charge.
Brazilian Maritime Pilots’ Association
Av. Rio Branco, 89/1502 – Centro – Rio de Janeiro – RJ – CEP 20040-004
Tel.: 55 (21) 2516-4479
conapra@conapra.org.br praticagemdobrasil.org.br
director president of Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association Bruno Fonseca de Oliveira
director vice-president
Marcello Rodrigues Camarinha
directors
Felipe Perrotta Bezerra
Jelmires José Galindo Junior
Ricardo Augusto Leite Falcão (vice-president of IMPA)
Rumos Práticos
planning
Otavio Fragoso/Flávia Pires/Katia Piranda
editor
Otavio Fragoso
writer
Rodrigo March (journalist in charge)
MTb/RJ 23.386
translation
Elvyn Marshall
revision
Julia Grillo
layout and design
Katia Piranda
pre-print
DVZ Impressões Gráficas
cover photo: Gustavo Stephan
The information and opinions expressed in this publication are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily express the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association viewpoint.
Eugenio Mussak: the path to professional excellence faces human challenges
Beto Pandiani shares the lessons he learned at sea in eight expeditions Global pilotage contributes to the decarbonation
Areia Branca Terminal
Similarities in Rio Grande do Norte ports
Areia Branca and Natal Pilotage Zones offer similar challenges for maritime pilots
RIO GRANDE DO NORTE
Newton Navarro Bridge
Natal Port
Two different pilotage zones in the same Brazilian State, mostly with similar economic, environmental and structural challenges, including wind force and current intensity, low power of tugs and cargo handling. In the 14th report of the series on 20 Brazilian ZPs, Rumos Práticos visited Areia Branca (ZP-6) and Natal (ZP-7), both in the state of Rio Grande do Norte.
We began our voyage by visiting the first city, approximately four hours from the Rio Grande do Norte capital. This is where Intersal Salt Terminal operates, also called Porto-Ilha [island port], due to the offshore structure, and known by the captains as Termisa, as stated in the nautical chart. The terminal was built 50 years ago, 14 nautical miles from the coast, and stores and loads bulk salt from Costa Branca, mainly from the salt flats of Areia Branca, Mossoró and Macau.
The cargo arrives on barges and is unloaded onto an open yard. An electric conveyor belt carries the salt to a retractable charger that empties the product into the ship’s holds, with a capacity of up to 5000-tons. The main destinations are ports in Southern Brazil, North America, Central America, Africa and occasionally Europe.
The ship’s mooring area consists of five dolphins, passing springs and four buoys for mooring the traverse and shuttle cables. Vessels up to 203-meters long are moored on the portside, with an anchor
launched starboard, very tightly because of wind and current. The berth is a single one.
In the morning the southeasterly wind blows and, in the afternoon, northeasterly, and may reach 40 knots in the second semester, namely between July and September. Pilotage tasks are restricted to 21 knots, since the two conventional tugs helping in maneuvers each have a static traction of 14 tons.
The tide range reaches 3.80 meters in the spring tide season, creating a stronger cross current on the ship’s side, yet another complication in maintaining the direction added to the wind.
“In addition to the lack of visual references, we have these environmental challenges that are there throughout the year. It is a region of wind force with an offshore terminal, and therefore unsheltered. We suffer a lot with the weather. The tidal range causes a strong current that also can divert a ship from its route. Although the power of the tugs is enough for ships that stop in port, it is slightly restricted in the event of emergency situations, a stronger wind or that which increases when we are maneuvering”, explains pilot Igor Sanderson.
Pilot Daniel Jusi says that, since the ship always moors in ballast, because it has still to be loaded, rudder and propeller are very often
PILOT IGOR SANDERSON DURING DE-BERTHING
only partly underwater. The vessel’s response, therefore, is weaker and thus more subject to external forces. He stresses the exact attention when mooring:
“The fenders need maintenance. We have to take great care when pulling in. As our master Jose Santos says (the ZP's third maritime pilot), it is as if there were a box of eggs in there and we have to moor without breaking them”.
According to Jusi, mooring mostly on buoys is yet another concern:
“The mooring agent goes by motorboat to the buoy and leaps onto it to pass or leave the cables. Considering it is a terminal in the open sea, it is a risk for the agent and a liability for our pilots.”
Rumos Práticos accompanied an unmooring maneuver with pilot Sanderson. It takes two hours by motorboat from Areia Branca to Porto-Ilha. After unmooring and lifting the anchor, the ship sails for eight miles, steered by the pilot.
Ten lateral buoys signal the access channel and maneuver basins, the landing buoy being the only light. This is why no night-time jobs are authorized. Nor crossings or overtaking are permitted. It is very common to encounter small fishing vessels with no communication equipment, and this requires the pilots’ caution.
The maximum draft is 11.20 meters, respecting four-hour tide windows. Except for them, there would not be sufficient depth to sail safely over a partially rocky bed.
Pilot Sanderson recalls the most complex case he has confronted. It was with a ship that had faulty unmooring machinery and was leaving for the pilotage zone:
“The vessel tended to leave the channel to starboard, while I had the rudder on portside. This meant that it was heading for a shallow region. It would certainly run aground. I had to act urgently, turning the whole rudder to starboard and using the ship tracking to leave the channel and moor in a safe area.”
In 2023, Areia Branca handled 3.8 million tons (-12.37% compared to the previous period) and in 2024, 3.1 million by November (-11.73%). The monthly average is approximately four ships.
The Intersal consortium has been managing the terminal since November 2022, after its lease. There is a project to undertake a bathymetric survey to the standards required by the Hydrography and Navigation Directorate of the Brazilian Navy. The aim is to upgrade the nautical chart and establish new signage for the channel, widening the draft to up to 14 meters.
NATAL PORT
Natal Port is tackling the issue of siltation. The maximum draft is ten meters. The channel was dredged more than ten years ago to 12 meters, but there are already eight-meter points. This obligates the repositioning of the fourth buoy, before the passage from Newton Navarro Bridge (towards port). According to pilotage master, pilot Sebastião Rodrigues, the problem is the existence of a small mole on Y beach on the other side of the bridge, which has changed the current and contributed to the accumulation of sediment and formation of the sandbanks Bancos das Velhas. The solution, so as not to reduce the draft throughout the channel, was to advance the buoy, narrowing the passage in that leg.
The port embarks fruit every week to Europe, namely melon, and receives wheat every fortnight mainly from Argentina. Also ships laden with sugar sail to the USA. There are three berths for vessels up to 190 meters in length. Petrobras used to operate a dolphin beside the public wharf, but its terminal was deactivated.
The access, although short, is not easy. There are three miles to the port. According to pilot Lucio Flavio, the ship makes a slight turn to starboard and then veers to port, aligning itself with the channel
DE-MOORING PROCESS FROM BUOY WITH STORAGE YARD IN BACKGROUND
PILOTS JOSÉ SANTOS AND DANIEL JUSI ON BOARD
photo: Publicity
axis. Due to the influence of wind and current, it is necessary to stay with a good velocity to endure governability between eight and ten knots. The wind is easterly or southeasterly and stronger in the second six months. It is stated unfeasible when it is more than 30 knots, pursuant to the Port Captaincy's Rules and Procedures.
“From May onwards, we start feeling the wind increase. Generally, we enter the machine at half power to adopt a safe speed and prevent problems with wind and current. When we cross the bar, we begin to reduce it, since we have to arrive at two or three knots near the evolution basin”, explains Lucio Flavio.
Two jetties, with the Natal Reef and Baixinha lighthouses, mark the entrance to the bar. Before them, to starboard three red buoys warn of a rocky formation called Cabeça de Negro on the nautical chart. Pilot Sebastião Rodrigues already stopped there with an emergency vessel but prevented an even worse incident.
“I was leaving with an oil tanker from the former Fronape when, approaching the mouth of the bar, I noticed that the ship was drifting and losing speed. It was a rush. The vessel had died. My decision was to leave the bar. When the ship lost track and was no longer manageable, I gave the order to drop anchor. As it turned,
the stern went over the remains of the Cabeça de Negro. If I hadn’t dropped anchor, it would have been worse. Today we have buoy three in that position.”
Sebastião Rodrigues talks about a remnant of the rocks because there was a part that was exposed at low tide, until the accident with the ship Canopus in 1995. According to him, the vessel was carrying sugar, and at night the captain mistook the approach for the mooring area, where he should have to wait for the pilot to arrive the following day. The oil spill then spread along the beaches in neighboring municipalities.
After entering the jetties, the narrow passage is taken between buoys seven and four, the one which was repositioned. Soon after is the Newton Navarro bridge, over the River Potengi, which links the sites of Forte dos Reis Magos and Praia da Redinha. The air draft is 55 meters. There is no protection of pillars.
In July, a convoy of a pusher and ferry collided with a pillar. The convoy left Pecém Port (Ceará) with a pilot on board, but the captain preferred to moor in Natal without the mandatory pilotage conduct. After the bridge was inaugurated in 2007, night-time navigation was banned. Crossings and overtaking are also banned.
ph
oto:
Gustavo
Stephan
PILOT SEBASTIÃO RODRIGUES LEITE, NATAL MASTER
12 pilotage in Brazil
PILOT LUCIO FLAVIO ON THE BRIDGE
PILOT VENDRAMINI COMMUNICATING WITH TUGS
Another key point is the current. A ship with a draft of more than 8.5 meters can only be maneuvered one hour before or one hour after high tide, with the weaker current.
“The problem of this chain is mainly in the turning of the vessel. When the ship is heavy for our standards, it is more complicated because the evolution basin is small (250 meters wide, according to the port). Mainly at low tide, we sometimes deal with two and a half knots of current. The turn finishes at the end of the maneuver basin”, says pilot Marco Vendramini.
He’s already encountered a tough situation even close to the incoming tide, when accompanying a maneuver. It was the arrival of a bulk carrier with maximum draft and at rising tide:
“The water moves and pushes the ship. When it decelerates, with the tide rising, it is hard to stop and the vessel tends to start crossing, because the current is pushing from behind, as if it were a rudder in action. With this faster water behind, therefore, it pushes you. And if you’re slightly across the flow, the ship will turn. There’s no point in backing up the engine to secure it. After all, the current is stronger than the effect of the propeller turning, it’s not
enough to stop this turn. We stopped 20 meters from the quayside (where there was a container carrier) and the dolphin (deactivated from Petrobras), with the sandwiched tug trying to push. It was the dropped starboard anchor that secured it not to hit the container carrier portside.”
The available tugs are conventional, with 20 and 18 tons of pull each, officially (outdated measurements). The structural challenges affect the productivity of the port, which handled 445,000 tons in 2023 (-32.64%) and 358,000 by November 2024 (-14.28%). The main blow was the CMA CGM group departure in April 2023. The French company transferred its transport operation, focusing on fruit, to the Port of Mucuripe (Ceará). According to the Rio Grande do Norte Dock Company (Codern) at that time, the shipowner alleged that it would operate with larger ships.
In October, on a visit to Rio Grande do Norte, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced BRL 47 million to protect the pillars of the Newton Navarro Bridge. On that occasion, Silvio Costa Filho, Minister of Ports and Airports, promised an investment in dredging in the state.
photo:
Gustavo Stephan
PASSING THROUGH MOLES AND BEACONS AT MOUTH OF
photo: Gustavo Stephan
BAR
Pilots meet at the 46th Brazilian Pilots Meeting
Event in Natal was attended by the president of the Maritime Court and key speakers
The success of a ship’s maneuver results from collective work and the human relations involved should not be forgotten, whether among the bridge crew, tug masters or lashers. Likewise, the pilot cannot forget to rest when off work, under penalty of compromising their technical skills. These topics were addressed during the 46th Brazilian Pilots Meeting, held in the Wish hotel in Natal (Rio Grande do Norte), from 4 to 6 December. The event is held annually by the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association.
On the first day, managers and advisors of the pilotage bodies met to discuss topics such as the impact of the tax reform on the companies and crisis management in major accidents. The second day was devoted to the series of talks and the third to the private assembly of the pilots.
The talk program began with the words of pilot Bruno Fonseca, president of Brazilian Pilotage. He gave a brief overview of the last event and progress so far, such as the consolidation of the new pilotage law. The first presentation was by federal deputy Luiz Carlos Hauly (Podemos political party). The member of parliament again addressed the importance of the tax reform to unlock the Brazilian economy:
“Until 1930, our economy grew 4.8%, even with political troubles. From 1931 to 1980, every two years the GDP doubled, regardless of governments. Until the country stopped growing and underwent three major economic crises. Our tax system is the worst and most unfair in the world. We need to unlock it. The main flaw is the annual tax exemption. It gives up 7% of the GDP. Our structure is
photo: Gustavo Stephan
also the most bureaucratic and generates costs. At the end of the day, it’s the people who pay. We overtax consumption, especially impacting the poorest. The ideal thing is to adopt the internationally approved model of Value Added Tax (VAT). Then we can go back to growing in a sustainable manner.”
Next, Vice-Admiral Ralph Dias, presiding judge of the Maritime Court, introduced the institution, its role and what it does. The body is autonomous, auxiliary to the Judiciary, and linked to the Navy Command. Its mission is to judge the accidents and navigation facts throughout Brazil, as well as to maintain notary activities such as Maritime Property Register. Its technical decisions have proof of value and provide grounds for common law. It was created after the bombing of the German cargo ship Baden by the Lookout Fort (today’s Leme Fort). The vessel left Rio de Janeiro without authorization and no pilot on board, ignoring the stop warnings from Santa Cruz Fort in Niterói.
“Maritime Court decisions are educational, as we propose preventive measures and navigation safety. For 90 years it has been promoting legal security for investors, seafarers and port people”, emphasized vice-admiral Ralph Dias.
Wrapping up the morning, physician and professor Eugenio Mussak concentrated on the human challenges of pilotage:
“There are four categories of skills: technical, management, human relations and excellence. If you are exhausted, would you do the maneuver correctly, even having the technical skills? So, skills, therefore, end up getting confused. Without rest, we don’t function. Physical exercise, food and sleep are essential. It is impossible to prevent stress, we have to know how to manage it
so as not to lose the capacity of perception and of making decisions. Take care of your technical skills but also your human side, especially your relationship with yourself, valuing recovery. Otherwise, the technical side will be contaminated.”
In the afternoon, the first panel focused on the dynamic draft system installed in ports in Pilotage Zone 4 (Espírito Santo state). The tool enables more accurate calculations of the clearance below the ships’ keel, allowing the vessels to load more without risk of running aground.
Daniel Menezes, executive, technical and operational director of the ES Pilotage said that the system has a moderate cost in relation to the investments in port infrastructure, but it is essential that the roles of the organization are very clearly defined. He mentioned the case of Portocel in Barra do Riacho, situated in an area of the organized port.
“We must ensure that each organization fulfils its legal responsibilities, so that there are no future problems.”
In turn, Edson Mesquita, professor of the Brazilian Navy Ciaga, explained the concepts of the dynamic and static regulations, stressing that “dynamic clearance without assessing the margin of the ship’s maneuverability makes no sense".
On the other hand, Priscila Farias, technical director of UMI SAN Hydrography and Engineering, stressed the importance of the quality of the environmental data supplying the system: waves, wind, current, depth and tides. Collecting this data using sensors faces various challenges, such as biofouling of equipment, theft, vandalism, dragging by fishing nets,
OPENING SPEECH BY MP LUIZ CARLOS HAULY
photos: Gustavo Stephan
VICE-ADMIRAL RALPH DIAS, PRESIDENT OF THE MARITIME COURT
calibration and real-time transmission. It is a process that needs investment.
“Pilotage has always been ahead on technical matters, so that environmental data of software is top quality."
Brazilian pilots’ experience with 366-meter container-carriers was the subject of the following panel, moderated by pilot Felipe Perrotta, technical director of Brazilian Pilotage. Vessels of this length already stop at the ports of Paranaguá (Pará-PR), Santos (São Paulo-SP), Sepetiba (Rio de Janeiro-RJ), Salvador (Bahia-BA), Suape (Pernambuco-PE) and Pecém (Ceará-CE). Perrotta traced the evolution of those ships over the years:
“Before the mid-1950s there were no container ships. When we enable a maneuver of this size, we are an investment rather than a cost. Ships have grown in size, but our ports continue the same. What made this type of operation possible? Expertise, training and the new technologies used by pilotage, through electronic simulation and small manned models, as well as using the portable pilot unit (PPU) in the maneuvers.”
Pilot Gustavo Martins, president of the National Maritime Pilots’ Federation, recalled that the arrival of the 366-meter ships in Paranaguá was a long process, since 2013, when the terminal questioned if the operation was feasible:
“In 2014, we visited the Netherlands to accompany simulations. After the contracted consulting firm submitted reports, the arrival of those ships was authorized in 2015. Later, we began to discuss crossing the access channel, in order not to restrict operating time, and crossing areas were defined. Finally, the risk analysis was made, in which the required capacity and quantity of tugs was established. With those steps taken, we were ready and waiting.
Today we have already received 12 stopovers. The preparation of the channel, tugs and crews is fundamental. I feel at home maneuvering because I’ve been following this analysis for many years.”
Pilot Jorge Luiz Sylvestre, who works in Ceará (ZP-05), told us that he spent a week in Panama where he accompanied a maneuver:
“Don't give this ship freedom, keep a tight rein on it. The rudder doesn’t have full capacity, and the reverse gear has low power.”
According to pilot Alessandro Schmidt, from Pernambuco (ZP-09), the margin of error when approaching the quay practically doesn’t exist. He mentioned other challenges:
“The access ladder to the ship, depending on the freeboard (distance from the water depth to the deck) is quite high. It is necessary to ask the captain for a good position to be more protected when boarding. After boarding, interaction between the pilots one and two must be ongoing, due to their restricted field of vision. And the vessel is very prone to wind and current action.”
Pilot André Kouzmine, from Rio de Janeiro (ZP-15), was in Baltimore (USA) for training. He mentioned that in Sepetiba you have to sail 21 miles before mooring and the environmental conditions can change unexpectedly during navigation, especially the wind.
“In 2025, we also expect the arrival of the 366s in Guanabara Bay. There, although navigation is shorter, the velocity should be faster with the tide running.”
Yachtsman Beto Pandiani made the second-to-last presentation. He is well-known for sea crossings in yachts without cabin or propulsion. He sailed eight expeditions around the world, sailing a total of more than 40,000 miles, including the Drake passage on his way to Antarctica. Feats like this involve planning of up to two years, with the collaboration of dozens of helpers:
“I usually say that success is a collective experience. On that expedition (in 2003), my partner and I made 50 thank-you telephone calls", he recalled.
On the Cape Town to Ilhabela voyage in 2013, he was able to reflect on risk management, which is parallel to the focus required in maritime pilotage jobs:
“Very often I felt safer in a storm than in a calm. We were 100% present and alert. We made our mistakes when we were not alert and were feeling somewhat arrogant.”
Jacqueline Wendpap, CEO of the Brazilian Maritime Pilots’ Institute, took advantage of Beto Pandiani’s talk to reinforce that the institute is also the result of a collective effort by Brazilian
PRISCILA FARIAS, DIRECTOR OF UMI SAN, ON THE DYNAMIC KEEL PANEL
photo: Gustavo Stephan
pilots. She displayed a three-year balance sheet of the Institute that not only became a training center for pilots and pilot operators, but also was open to the public, providing learning, debates and contributing to the improvement of the waterway and port infrastructure in Brazil.
“In 2025, we must upgrade and grow after consolidating these three years. The increase in the ATPR groups (Pilot Refresher Course) and our presence in the maritime and port sector is one of the targets. Today, everyone can experience the Brazilian Maritime Pilotage Institute (Instituto Praticagem do Brasil ).”
Lastly, the president of Brazilian Maritime Pilots came back on stage to close the event, summarizing and connecting the topics of the talks.
“It was a very fruitful day of discussions that added value for each of us. We perform 80,000 maneuvers a year and are hugely proud of the extremely low accident rate. Our result must always be to
LEFT, GUSTAVO MARTINS TALKS ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCE WITH 366-METER SHIPS
photos: Gustavo Stephan
JACQUELINE WENDPAP, PRESIDENT OF BRAZILIAN PILOTS, GIVING A SUMMARY OF THE BRAZILIAN PILOTS’ INSTITUTE [PRATICAGEM DO BRASIL] AT CLOSURE OF THE PROGRAM
deliver the ship safely, no matter what the available resources are. We do not control nature, it’s true, but we use it in our favor. Among the skills mentioned by Dr. Eugenio Mussak, the human relationship is a focus point for the pilot. We are the first people in contact with the captain and their team, coming from a long voyage on the high seas. And as Beto Pandiani so rightly said, success is collective. Our collaborators and our family also come on board with us. Once on board, various players must be in harmony, alert and communicating clearly. We will continue to enhance the service. Here’s to the next meeting. In 2025, we will be commemorating 50 years of the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association”
The following companies sponsored the 46th Brazilian Pilots Meeting: Touch Software House (Diamond sponsor); Aqua Shield; DMGA Seguros; Hidromares; Navigandi; Supmar; UMI SAN; and Volvo Penta (Gold sponsors).
On the following pages, check out the talks by Eugenio Mussak and Beto Pandiani.
THE PRESIDENT OS BRAZIL PILOTS AT THE CLOSING OF THE PROGRAM
photos: Gustavo Stephan
IN THE FOREGROUND, DIRECTOR JELMIRES GALINDO AND VICE-PRESIDENT MARCELLO CAMARINHA
Get-together
photos: Gustavo Stephan
Eugenio Mussak : the path to professional excellence faces human challenges
Physician and professor, he was one of the speakers at the 46th Brazilian Pilots Meeting and defended the importance of self-care
Physician and professor Eugenio Mussak, author of 13 books and hundreds of articles on people management and organizational development, was one of the speakers at the 46th Brazilian Pilots Meeting. He proposed reflections on the work in the corporate environment and addressed human challenges within the organizational structures, focusing on the importance of achieving professional excellence and, at the same time, caring for body and mind.
Mussak has worked for 25 years with sports medicine. His working area was Physiology – an important ally in the search for high performance –, which led him to the corporate environment.
“Companies want people to perform better in their work in order to collaborate with the organizational performance, increasing productivity, competitiveness and profitability”, emphasized Mussak, who has already written on the topic for magazines such as Exame and Superinteressante , published by Editora Abril.
In the corporate world, this movement is called HOD (Human and Organizational Development). In other words: how to develop the company by developing people.
photo: Gustavo Stephan
With regard to sport, he compares the role of orthopaedist to that of the physiologist. The former, he explained, attends to sports complications and injuries; the other seeks to improve the athlete’s performance. In short, while the orthopaedist wants to get the athlete back on the pitch as soon as possible, the physiologist doesn’t want him to leave the field.
Mussak emphasizes that it is imperative to adopt the humanitarian aspect when exercising a profession. He believes that every professional, regardless of their area of activity, is a human being and, very often, pays a high price when forgetting this.
To direct his talk, which was filled with references to writers, philosophers and mythology, Mussak divided it into three topics: skill management aspects, human aspects and the idea of care.
By delving into the skills needed for any profession, he made a distinction between four key categories: technical skills (“maritime pilots have dozens of them"), management, human relations and excellence skills.
A technical skill is vital, he emphasized, but it is not enough on its own. Knowing how to manage one's work – making good use of time, resources and methods – is the key to success.
“There’s no point in being technically good but disorganized, someone who does not respect timekeeping, does not manage their own resources, or doesn't know where they left their (working) tools... Management is not a topic (directed only) for the specialist, trained in administration; it is for everyone.
WHAT WE HAVE LEFT IS BEING HUMAN, THE CAPACITY TO UNDERSTAND.
The third skill mentioned by Mussak is human relations. According to him, as the years went by, machinery substituted human effort, and the same is now happening with intellectual force. In the corporate world, including pilotage, effective communication and the capacity to understand one another are fundamental.
“What we have left is being human, the capacity to understand. In your case (maritime pilots), imagine how important good communication is. It must be exercised in minutes or even in seconds, so that an order is given and executed correctly”, he said, in relation to instructions conveyed by the pilots to the ship’s bridge crew.
Lastly, the skill of excellence goes beyond the basics. This is what really differentiates the top professionals, those who exceed expectations and leave a positive mark. In a corporate environment or in any profession, it means offering a service beyond what is expected.
“We will find those who do not meet our expectations, who fall short, those who attend us precisely and the meta-competent; in other words, those who exceed expectations. Which one of them will we remember?”
photo:
Gustavo Stephan
IF YOU ARE TIRED, TENSE AND NERVOUS, WILL YOU PERFORM THE MANEUVER PROPERLY?
According to the professor, however much someone has the necessary technical skills for their profession, their capacity to do a job with excellence depends on maintaining their physical and emotional health.
“No matter how well you know the tools and the work to be done, if you are tired, tense and nervous, will you perform the maneuver properly? So, these skills eventually get confused. We cannot be limited to technical handbooks. We have to put in practice human handbooks.”
Mussak also addressed fear, a natural emotion present in all professions, especially in high-risk activities, such as maritime pilotage. When well managed, fear becomes an ally, protects us and makes us act prudently:
“Without fear, perhaps we would no longer exist as a species, because we would face needless hazards. It derives from our survival instinct. We learn to deal with it. This is what we call emotional intelligence.”
Mussak made an analogy with the whaler captain of the story Moby Dick, by Herman Melville, who stated that there was no room in his vessel for cowards, nor for those who are not afraid of whales. The animal in the story represents the sea; and the sea, life.
“We have to feel fear. And when faced with fear, what remains in us is courage. Courage as a virtue, as strength, decision and strategy. But courage imbues prudence, care, concern, fear of failure. The courageous are never imprudent.”
He also mentioned the book Civilization and its Discontents, by Freud, to reflect on the illusion that we have control over things. And he used a metaphor with the work of maritime pilots who have technical skills to steer vessels, but are unable to control nature, for example, despite the technologies that help prevent natural events.
“We have to learn that nature is stronger”, he emphasized. “The true skill is to know how to deal with the unpredictable.”
In another reference to his working area as a physician, Mussak spoke about the importance of care. He said that rest is essential:
“Without rest, our muscles, brain and internal organs do not function; we do not function.”
According to the professor, it is fundamental to exercise, eat and sleep well. Stress, an ailment unavoidable nowadays, needs to be managed with this care, so that our perception and decision making are not compromised. In fact, stress can even be an ally, a warning sign that something is wrong:
“Avoiding stress isn't a good thing, because it is a response from our organism in face of danger. What we must do is to learn how to manage it.”
“In a corporate environment, this means rest and vacations.”
At the end of his talk, Mussak shared a message from Greek mythology, citing the fable of Epiphron, a character that created the human being and was given by a god the responsibility to care for its creation, otherwise life would separate from matter.
“This myth means that everything we do not care for will die.”
He concluded:
“Take care. Care for your technical skills and human side, your relations, especially the relation with yourself, increasing self-knowledge, giving yourself the necessary time to recover after a hard day’s work. Otherwise, technical skills are contaminated by other incompetencies. And today, what counts is meta-competence.”
Beto Pandiani shares the lessons he learned at sea in eight expeditions
Planning, risk management and teamwork were lessons shared at the 46th Brazilian Pilots Meeting
2 022 Passage
2 005 Boreal Route
2 004 Atlantic 1000 regatta
199 4
Between Tropics
2013 Atlantic Crossing
2000 Austral Route
2003 Drake Passage
The 80,000 kilometers sailed on board sailing ships without a cabin or propulsion were the driving force of the talk by sailor Beto Pandiani during the 46th Brazilian Pilots Meeting. His vast experience at sea, with eight round the world expeditions, was an example to detail lessons such as planning, risk management and teamwork. The most recent expedition – the Polar Route, in 2022 – became a documentary on climate change, its impacts and the urgency of preserving nature. As a legacy, Pandiani hopes to raise awareness in society, especially among the younger generations, of the importance of environmental education.
On his first voyage from Miami (USA) to Ilhabela (São Paulo), in 1994, Pandiani learned the hard way one of the main lessons to be applied at sea and in life. “Travel light and travel far” became the sailor’s mantra. The crew, less experienced on that occasion, left in two boats from the USA with a cargo of 125 kilos each, with food, equipment, first-aid items, tools, etc. Many failures and some accidents later, the result of the ten-month voyage was 100 kilos less in the vessels.
“The voyage was an exercise in detachment, prioritization and management of resources. The lighter the boat was, fewer things were broken and the faster we sailed.”
The “Between Tropics” expedition sailed through the Caribbean, crossed the Amazon River, reached Belém and then faced 50 days of wind along the Brazilian coast until ending in Ilhabela. The many challenges were overcome with the help of people they met on the way, one of them a man who asked for a ride to São Gabriel da Cachoeira (Amazonas-AM). Even with a sailing boat with a 50-cm
keel, there was the risk of colliding on rocks. The man knew the river routes and helped the crew sail along Rio Negro without mishap.
“That was our salvation, because, in fact, he was a pilot”, joked Pandiani. “He knew all the rocks. It was a stretch of the river with many rapids. He was our savior.”
Throughout the 289 days of this first adventure, the crew would camp on beaches. Communication with the outside world – even to learn about weather conditions – was by public phone, calling friends in Miami.
With the lessons learned, Pandiani set out on his second expedition in 2000. Following the example of the previous experience, the crew embarked on two catamarans in Puerto Montt, Chile, rounded the legendary Cape Horn – the last piece of land in South America – and after nearly half a year, arrived in Rio de Janeiro. It was the first time that cabinless vessels dared to sail around Cape Horn, where dozens of shipwrecks have been recorded.
“On this voyage we had a support car that carried our cargo. So, every five or seven days we could supply the boat. This is how we sailed with a lighter load.”
After solving the cargo issue, another component, the wind, forced upon them another lesson: exercising patience. Sometimes the sailors would have to wait up to five days to continue the voyage.
“We would play chess with the wind. We were eager to leave but wise to wait”, philosophized Pandiani, who got a taste of the sea
photo:
PANDIANI’S BOAT ON ROUTE TO THE POLE
as a child when listening to the tales told by his father, an Italian sailor.
In bad weather, the crew would moor and stay in tents on a beach in Chilean Patagonia. Then, they would sail until encountering another atmospheric obstacle. And that is how the boats made their way down to Ushuaia.
Without anybody knowing about it, the Chilean Navy kept a patrol boat ten miles behind the sailors throughout the voyage in Chilean waters. This was possible because the sailors used to communicate daily to inform their location and receive weather forecasts.
When arriving in Rio de Janeiro after following the coast for 170 days, Pandiani heard from the sailor Amyr Klink that it would have been easier to make for the Antarctic. It was the cue for the speaker to consider his third expedition: Drake’s Passage, a region of the Antarctic Ocean linking South America to Antarctica.
This is one of the world’s most dangerous crossings due to the
adverse weather conditions, with storms, gales and gigantic waves. For Pandiani, the voyage represented a great leap forward, since it did not involve a coastal expedition but rather long distances in the open sea.
Planning was complicated. In February 2003 the crew needed to find four good days in the Drake Passage, which only happens once, or at most twice, a year. To ensure safety, the sailors relied on weather monitoring from centers in France and the USA, in addition to a support vessel with medical doctor and the help of an international team, including the Chilean Navy. Pandiani’s partner on the trip was Duncan Ross, a South African who had taken part in the Miami-Ilhabela expedition.
Even with all the forecasting apparatus, a microclimate situation forced the crew to face a storm on the way.
“We sailed for ten hours with five-meter waves, snow and lots of ice. The boat was surfing, with hardly any sails. It was very cold. It felt like 20 degrees negative”, Pandiani recalls. “It was epic. It took
photo:
Maristela Colucci
WITH IGOR BELY ON EASTER ISLAND
us 84 hours to reach Deception Island. For the first time ever, a cabinless boat was to arrive in the Antarctic. But we still had a second leg to go before the continent.”
Meticulous planning was crucial. Even before having left, he felt that the voyage was already 80% completed.
“I usually say that success is a collective experience. On that expedition, my partner and I made 50 thank-you telephone calls", he recalled.
The motto of the expedition was recorded below the boat’s sail, written by Duncan Ross: "Patience, persistence and prudence".
“We read these three “Ps” all the way to Antarctica.”
The following year, 2004, Pandiani and Duncan Ross were partners again in the Atlantic 1000, a 1,000 mile Miami-New York regatta: "The world’s longest for this type of boat and the toughest". Even without experience to cope with a 20-ft Nacra, non-existent in Brazil, the duo came in second place.
In 2005, it was time for the New York-Greenland expedition, completing the idea of sailing from one pole to the other, North to
South of the planet. And he did it, in company of crewmember Felipe Whitaker.
“Without many more places to go up or down, I began to think of sailing East to West.”
From the three ocean routes, Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans, Pandiani chose the first one, sailing from Chile to Australia. Ever since then, sailor Igor Bely became his partner. Igor had grown up sailing, his father was the captain of the boat that guided Pandiani on his way to the Antarctic and he had the credential of being the first navigator to take tourists to the region.
Again, the voyage began with thorough preparation, including transport of two manual desalinators to ensure drinking water, since loading 300 liters of water would be unfeasible. The food was freeze-dried, with daily consumption of around 2,000 calories. The sailboat, built in France, was adapted in Ilhabela before being towed to Chile, where the expedition departure location was.
This expedition was the one which involved most accidents to the sailboat. Altogether it took seven months laid up for repairs. The voyage took around 70 days sailing, but with the repair periods it was approximately ten months.
Pandiani highlighted not only the logistic and physical challenges of the crossing, but also the importance of mutual trust and complicity in his partner:
“We spent months together without ever arguing. Our system was very simple: we took care of each other. Focus on your partner. At night, we took two-hour turns at the helm. And when day breaks, you're not always feeling well. So, you tell your partner to rest and take over the shift. And vice-versa.”
The friendship creates an emotional structure for successful expeditions:
“A project without trust doesn’t have a future.”
One of the highpoints of the course was a stopover right at the start on Easter Island. After 18 days of expedition, the pair was welcomed with a celebration by the Rapanui, with right to gastronomic rituals.
“They knew that we were arriving in a cabinless catamaran, which for them was a reason to be proud, since the catamaran originated from the Polynesians. The pirogue is a type of dugout canoe that later originated the catamaran.”
The pair’s saga continued in 2013, when they decided to cross the Atlantic from Cape Town (South Africa) to Ilhabela without a stopover. The best lesson was not to have expectations about the end of the voyage. As Pandiani pointed out, "a sailboat has a date for departure, but never for arrival", since it depends on wind, essential to navigate.
They spent nine days of calm in the middle of the ocean, under the sun. However, the vessel was previously impacted by a storm in the first week. The mishaps caused the voyage to last in total 32 days, although they had expected 25 days.
The days of poor weather, however, left an important entry on risk management in the logbook. Although apparently contradictory, Pandiani noted that very often he felt safer during the storms. Despite the incidents on his expeditions, no serious episode ever occurred during these situations:
“We always sailed with a good performance. And I realized that it was because we were 100% alert. The mistakes occurred when we were relaxed, in an apparently controlled environment. The lack of attention is the greatest risk we could have.”
The Polar Route was the eighth expedition and the first with the intention of producing a documentary about climate change in one of the most inhospitable regions of the planet. The project took eight years to be developed. The main challenge of the voyage in 2022 was sailing in the Arctic during the short three-month polar
summer. With specific dates for departure and arrival, the expedition had to be completed before September 10 th when the weather would become extreme, with gales and low temperatures.
In Tuktoyaktuk, on the Mackenzie River delta in Canada, they found a 400 km barrier of ice. At first, the forecast was 30 days for melting, but the available time was too short. Pandiani and Igor Bely decided then to take a risk, using a drone to find alternative routes. After being stuck in the glacier for 24 hours, they finally found a way out.
Inuit hunters warned them about the danger of polar bears. The explored Route had at least 40,000 of them. For safety’s sake, the crew bought a weapon but, although the presence of the bears was imminent, they did not encounter them.
“The Inuit people warned us not to use toothpaste because the bear smells it 20 kilometers away. We felt that we were always being watched.”
At one critical point, the pair were challenged by the Bellot Strait, a channel which is an ice sheet during 11 months every year. Using a pedal propeller system, the sailors crossed it without any wind, aided by the current.
The most special moment occurred, however, when arriving in Leopoldo Bay, a haven where they stayed for days because of the bad weather. The Bay was a beluga whale hatchery, with more than 250 animals.
“At night, we were sleeping when we heard the breathing sound of a whale. We went to the stern and there were two beluga whales. In five minutes, our boat was surrounded by them. I used my phone to record the sound. It was the most exciting 40 minutes ever. I felt that everything that had happened in my life up to then had been meant to bring me to that moment.”
“The expedition ended in Arctic Bay, a small Inuit village, on September 3rd. Four days later, the only ship to moor there to supply the community of 900 people took the sailboat back to Montreal.”
Pandiani closed his talk with a warning on environmental degradation observed over the years. He has written seven books, and recently wrote a book dedicated to the young. Nas terras do vento [In the lands of the wind] tells the story of a young sailor who travels to Patagonia to investigate plastic contamination in the oceans. The publication has QR Codes that lead to a platform with environmental content.
“The book is an environmental education project. As long as I have wind inside me and I am breathing, you can be sure my next expedition will be for environmental education.”
Global pilotage contributes to the decarbonation process
French pilots’ federation is one of the most progressive: the institution calculates emissions from the stations and has a mitigation plan
Although not being a subject of international decarbonation targets, pilot stations worldwide are starting to contribute to the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. One of them is the French federation. Eleven of the 30 pilot stations are involved in calculating their carbon footprint, homework for every carbonation process. In 2023, they were responsible for emitting 9,752 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, comparable to 73 trucks running every year. The approximate average is 160 kg CO2 per operation.
The federation formed an internal committee to address the matter, currently under the command of the Toulon pilot Olivier Vincens, with whom Rumos Práticos discussed. The slower speed of the pilot boats (up to 20 knots) is one of the immediate measures of the plan adopted to reduce the emissions, including training to pilot them more sustainably.
The plan also includes the adoption of green diesel (HVO) and the grouping of pilots in the same boat for boarding the ships, when the distance between two or more vessels is less than 40 minutes. The use of electric trolleys and renewing the office heating systems are complementary actions.
Some of the medium - and long-term efforts are the alternative propulsion designs. In Sete, a 100% electric boat is already operating, with autonomy to work on two jobs if the speed is 12 knots. Marseille pilotage is also interested and is working with local builders to define its design.
Furthermore, there are hybrid propulsion projects and, in Le Havre, a foil boat, which costs double a conventional boat. This boat is also electric, and its system enables it to rise above the water surface, as if it were floating, minimizing the drag and maximizing the energy efficiency. The technology is the same as used in the trimaran that moved a silver horse down the River Seine during the Paris Olympic Games. The boat was originally built in Belfast by the company Artemis Technologies, which now has orders for pilots in Belgium (2025) and Sweden (2026).
Performance in rough seas is an issue. A certain speed is required for the foil to function, which complicates steering the boat in poor
weather. On the other hand, the lack of friction of the hull with the sea reduces the impacts and wave interference.
In Brazil, São Paulo Pilotage makes an inventory of its direct emissions, following the GHG Protocol (Greenhouse Gas Protocol). In 2023, 1,537 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent were emitted. Included in the mitigation actions is the engine change of all its 17 vessels for less pollutant and more efficient electronic equipment. Six of them have already been modified. Expected completion date is 2026.
Brazilian Pilotage, in general, has also been investing to add efficiency to the port system, contributing to reducing emissions with non-idle berths and fewer ships waiting outside the bar. The president of the institution, pilot Bruno Fonseca, highlighted this on an international mission of the Brazil Export Forum. As an example, he mentioned the São Paulo Pilotage, which undertakes simultaneous jobs and two-way traffic in formerly restricted stretches. This was only possible after a meticulous timing study of each maneuver.
The president participated in the panel "Actions for safety and energy transition in maritime shipping", in the company of pilot Fabio Mello Fontes, president of São Paulo Pilotage.
Despite the work by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on behalf of decarbonation, Bruno Fonseca pointed out that all logistics involved in the Maritime industry needs to be green, not only the ship but also the transportation of the cargo from its origin to the port. He added that the manufacturing infrastructure, storage and distribution of alternative fuel for vessels are also essential.
The president believes that the industry is in a race against time considering the IMO goal to zero net greenhouse gas emissions in 2050. More than 3,500 ships would need to be built or reformed annually to achieve the UN agency objective. The mission is by no means easy, considering that the peak industrial maritime production in 2010 was building 2,700 ships. The data are in the report “2023 Maritime Transportation” of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad).
“The deadlines are tight and the demands are very high. In fact, today, I can see no capacity of the industry to meet that target,” stated Bruno Fonseca.
The ship owners have made some investments, but find themselves in a dilemma according to Unctad: should they invest in the fleet without clarity on the best fuel operation and green technologies or wait till the way is clearer, even in the regulatory part?
WAITING PERIOD AT PORTS
At the ports, this same issue exists – if they wait to invest in equipment, terminals and supply facilities. But there are jobs that could be postponed. According to a recent survey from the National Waterway Transportation Agency (Antaq), 81% of public ports and 35% of private use terminals (TUPs), leased (TAs) and cargo transshipment stations (ETCs) do not even undertake the greenhouse gas emissions inventory.
The “Diagnosis of Decarbonation, Infrastructure and Hydrogen Applications in Ports” was funded by the German government with a view to promote the development of the green hydrogen market, which is one of the possibilities of alternative fuel for the vessels.
Fifty-four percent (54%) of ports and terminals that submit their reports exclude the indirect emissions that are not controlled by
the port authority or terminal administration, such as emissions of third party vessels that move through the port area.
"They only report scopes 1 and 2 of the GHG Protocol guidelines, which are the direct emissions and indirect emissions from electricity", the study states.
The GHG Protocol recommends that the inventories are audited by a third party and made public, but this is done only by 58% of the facilities. The percentage of those that produce the inventories is higher between private terminals.
The diagnosis listed three opportunities to reduce the carbon footprint in the ports: generation of renewable energy for administrative and operational activities, in addition to reducing mooring time, speed and waiting time for loading and unloading; onshore energy supply and less pollutant fuels for the moored vessels; and use of green hydrogen and its byproducts, such as ammonia and methanol. The study, however, showed that there is limited understanding by some of the respondents in relation to this market’s potential.
Only 11 of the 93 facilities responding recorded ship moorings that use fuels with a low carbon content. Maritime transportation is responsible for more than 80% of the volume of freight handled in international trade. Greenhouse gas emissions generated by the activity are 3% of the overall total and have increased 20% over the last ten years.
photo: Company website
Pilot Carlos Hermann, a role model for the profession
He was a member of a key group for reinforcing the profession. It was his idea, for example, to strengthen the link of the service with the environment
In October, Brazilian Pilotage lost one of the leading members for its development. Pilot Carlos Hermann Guilherme Martins died at the age of 86. He worked in São Paulo and was a member of the group that boosted a turnaround in the administration of the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association. Technical, strategic, studious, contagious and innovative are some of the adjectives that defined him, according to his colleagues interviewed by Rumos Práticos
“Hermann was one of the great pillars of pilotage, especially on the technical side, together with Francisco Luiz de Oliveira (São Paulo-SP), the legendary Chicão, who was outstanding as a true mainstay in the commercial part. Both were a collective force that marked a decisive moment in the history of our profession. Together with other colleagues that shared the same vision, we combined forces for a more egalitarian and solid pilotage. This combination was key to building the foundations that sustain our profession until today, permitting everyone who is now in the profession to enjoy such a well-structured legacy”, recalls Paulo Esteves, who presided the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association from 1997 to 1998.
On that occasion, the board was a collegiate. Its members included pilots Antonio Robles (São Paulo-SP), Mauro do Canto (Espírito
Santo-ES), Miguel Salgado (Pará-PA) and Otavio Fragoso (Rio de Janeiro-RJ). For legal purposes, Paulo Esteves was nominated president. He reminds us that the Association was in a difficult financial situation:
“We made a major move and the top pilotage companies took over. Shortly after, the Waterway Traffic Safety Act regarding pilotage (Lesta) was decreed. I was lucky to work with these two people (Carlos Hermann Guilherme Martins) and Chicão (Francisco Luiz de Oliveira), among others. They provided the conditions for what was done by this group. I feel especially privileged to have learned from and been a partner of such committed professionals. It's a reminder that reinforces the belief that unity will always be the key to keeping pilotage strong and rising to its challenges.”
Former president Otavio Fragoso, current editor of Rumos Práticos, emphasizes that Hermann introduced the theory in the strategy of the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association:
“We would discuss a lot about the organization of pilotage, but Hermann raised important concepts for reflection and compiled a bibliographic study that helped build a more solid base for the Association to have a long-term strategy.”
photo: Archive
PILOTAGE
In this process of conceptual innovation within the Association, he proposed, among other actions, changing the journal’s name from Embarque do Prático [The Pilot’s Boarding] to Rumos Práticos Additionally, he served as editor for three editions to strengthen the new language and editorial direction:
“Hermann had the habit of buying several copies of books that he found to be important for the institution, distributing them among pilots who he identified as enthusiasts of the profession and opinion leaders. He was a benchmark of intellectual dynamism for a generation of pilots, many of them beginners in the 1990s, some still active today. He left an indelible mark on the profession’s development process, always keeping a low profile and taking on positions only occasionally and for the necessary time for his ideas to be absorbed and boost the changes. His wife, Fatima, was a key support in his work. Both always attended the pilotage meetings together".
Hermann came from the Brazilian Navy, and worked for more than 50 years as a pilot, first in São Sebastião and later also in Santos.
He was a member of the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association when Mauro do Canto met him at the end of the 1980s:
“He was a pilotage enthusiast and had extraordinary knowledge of history, including naval history and pilotage itself. He was a student of the subject. His enthusiasm was contagious. It was a huge pleasure to work with him in the progress of our profession.”
Mauro do Canto recalls that Hermann was a forerunner in realizing the close link of pilotage with environmental preservation, a link that was not evidenced until then in the institution’s communication.
“This link started to be incorporated into the Association’s discourse. And Hermann contributed not only with the idea and incentive but also provided the slogan used with the images in the official letters and Christmas card.
In the early 1990s, at his incentive, São Sebastião Pilotage ran the campaign “Piloting environmental preservation”.
“I was one of the first people to raise the environmental banner”, said Hermann himself, as recorded in edition no. 19 of Rumos Práticos
Mauro do Canto mentions another case that marks his colleague’s innovative spirit.
“In February 1998, São Sebastião hosted a stage in today’s so-called Ocean Race, the world’s largest ocean sailing regatta. It was a worldwide event, with footage that spanned the globe. Hermann had the idea of baptizing a pilot boat “Follow Me” and painted the name in large letters on the stern, so that it would sail in front of the sailboats on their arrival in São Sebastião”, he tells us. “Well, this is how I remember Hermann, he was always very enthusiastic, always encouraging others, gazing ahead and concerned with the future of pilotage. He contributed a great deal to our profession. He was a great loss. He will be sadly missed.”
EVENTS
ARGENTINE MARITIME PILOTS LEARN ABOUT PROGRESS IN BRAZILIAN REGULATION
Pilot Ricardo Falcão, director of Brazilian Pilots and vice-president of the International Maritime Pilots' Association (IMPA), attended in October the IV National Meeting of Argentine Pilots. Ricardo Falcão addressed the progress in regulating the profession in Brazil, with the update of the Waterway Traffic Safety Act. "There is no recipe to preserve or change a regulatory reality. We have common bases for functioning in the world, but countries are different. This is why IMPA does not provide a guidebook. We are the ones who must do this job, discover the routes and roll up our sleeves. We have to attend congresses like this one, exchange experiences and get to know the pilotage in other countries. That, indeed, has allowed us to win arguments and move ahead", stressed the Brazilian director. The event in Buenos Aires was organized by the Argentine Chamber of Pilotage and Pilotage Activities.
The Navigation Safety Committee of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) approved new rules for the pilot transfer devices in the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (Solas) and its appendices. The document will be adopted by IMO in June, at the next Committee meeting, entering in force in January 2028. The measures include setting the 36-month validity term for Jacobs' ladders and the mandatory pilot mark for ships that need a combined boarding arrangement (Jacob's ladder and portal ladder). An updated poster was also approved regarding the correct installation of the arrangements and material to be fixed to the vessels' gangway. The International Maritime Pilots' Association (IMPA) has contributed actively to the changes.
photo: Gustavo Stephan
photo: Publicity
MANEUVERS
MINISTER OF PORTS AND AIRPORT MEETS SÃO PAULO PILOTAGE
Minister for Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho visited the São Paulo Pilotage operations center in December. He was accompanied by Anderson Pomini, president of the Santos Port Authority, and welcomed by pilot Fabio Mello Fontes, the local pilotage president. "It was the first time we were visited by a Minister of State in our headquarters. We displayed all the technology used to coordinate the port operations", said Mello Fontes. In January, he was honored by his pilot colleagues, who named after him the pilots' boarding bridge in Santos, built in 1991.
ITAJAÍ PILOTAGE CONTRIBUTES TO THE ENTRY OF LARGER CRUISE SHIPS
Overhead image of the berthing of MSC Splendida in Itajaí Port, after turning in the evolution basin and navigation astern. The entry of the vessel was yet another landmark for Itajaí Pilotage and Seafarers (Santa Catarina State). It is the start of a new operational phase of this maneuver with cruise ships over 306 meters in length. In this case, the MSC Splendida is 333.33 meters in length and 37.92 meters wide. The ship moored in January.
CONDOLENCES FOR THE DEATH OF PILOTS FABRITZIO AND GRECO
Brazilian Pilots mourn the death of pilots Fabritzio Silva Sequeira and Gilzio Greco Moreira, who worked in the Eastern Amazon Basin (ZP-01) and State of Rio de Janeiro (ZP-15), respectively. We offer condolences to the families and friends of these pilot colleagues who contributed so much to the shipping safety and preservation of the environment in our waters.
photo: Luiz Fernando Nardes
photos: Publicity
photo:
Rodrigo Silva
FABRITZIO
MEDIA SUCCESS
RIO GRANDE DO NORTE IN FOCUS
The three videos we produced during our visit to Rio Grande do Norte, when we collected data for the pilotage zone series, achieved the largest number of impressions in the period – the number of times the content is displayed on a screen. They garnered 70,000 impressions across the social media platforms where we are present. For this we thank pilots Igor Sanderson from Areia Branca (ZP-6), and Lucio Flavio, Marco Vendramini and Sebastião Rodrigues Leite from Natal (ZP-7).
MANEUVER WITH SMART GLASSES
The details of an unberthing maneuver at the Port of Pecém (CE), from the pilot's own perspective, resulted in the second most-viewed content of the period, with nearly 20,000 impressions on social media. The footage was captured using cameraequipped glasses. A special thanks to Pilot Bruno Fonseca (ZP-05) for sharing the footage with us for editing.
INFOGRAPHIC RESOURCE
The didactic post we prepared, explaining how a ship is berthed at the quay and which berthing lines are used also aroused great interest in our followers. For the public’s easier understanding, we prepared an infographic with our designer partner. The post attracted 12 thousand impressions.
flaprac.org
In his book The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook , historian Hampton Sides addresses the transformation of the legendary Captain James Cook on his last and longest expedition to the Pacific.
On July 12th, 1776, he departed on his third voyage, already famous as the greatest explorer in British history. Two and a half years later, on a Hawaiian beach, Cook was killed in battle with natives. How could this have happened, when he was considered one of the few to respect indigenous peoples and culture? After all, he was neither conqueror nor colonizer.
The Captain, known for his exceptional nautical and mapping skills, dedication to science and human leadership, would treat his crew well and endeavored to learn about the societies he would encounter, without prejudice. His voyages contributed to documenting territories and sciences, such as medicine, botany and anthropology.
On his last voyage, however, something changed his personality, affecting his behavior and judgment. He grew unpredictable, resorting to the whip to impose discipline, and endangered his ships on several occasions. Unusually, he would also give orders for a violent retaliation to natives for alleged theft.
In later years, monuments to his exploits were vandalized, and artefacts – once considered treasures – removed from museums. Even the Cook Islanders seriously discussed changing the name of the archipelago.
Aided by historians, forensic physicians, indigenous oral stories and Cook’s and his crew’s own personal writings, the author endeavors to understand this controversial personality with impact exploitations, for better or worse. Hampton Sides attempts to describe Cook without defending or demonizing him.
