Rumos Práticos 58 (English)

Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association Magazine - 58th edition - February-May 2021

Pernambuco pilots

innovate to overcome challenges

editorial

Revista do Conapra - Conselho Nacional de Praticagem - out/20 a jan/2

One hundred and sixty-seven years ago, what was once a pilots’ association became Pernambuco Pilot Station. On February 28th of 1854, Pilot Station 9 first appeared in the port of Recife, and was to assume the current configuration with the development of the Suape port complex, in the Ipojuca municipality, 40 kilometers away. In the fourth article of the series on Brazilian ZPs of this edition, Rumos Práticos reveals the main challenges met in the state of Pernambuco by the pilot station, which today joins in implementing new operations and overcoming infrastructure bottlenecks.

The following pages also include an interview with the maritime judge, Vice-Admiral Wilson Pereira de Lima Filho, president of the Admiralty Court, who says that the collegiate made up of another six judges had to adapt, as other sectors had to also, to continue judging shipping accidents and facts during the pandemic. Topics such as safe pilot boarding and disembarking; quality of pilotage service and scale of a single circuit; civil liability and autonomous ships were evaluated by the president.

The matter of autonomous ships is also addressed in an article signed by professor Eduardo Tannuri and pilot Helio Sinohara. They analyze the technologies that need to be implemented or adapted in the ports so that these vessels can be safely received and how essential the role of pilotage is in that process. The authors presented the extended work in January at the World of Shipping Portugal conference.

The technologies, such important allies to pilotage in the search of enhancement, are also essential for pilots in São Francisco do Sul (Santa Catarina state) to confront different training scenarios. A ship maneuvering simulator has been installed there since December that allows the pilots to train regularly in order to address the challenges in Pilot Station 18.

These advanced technologies were unimaginable in 1637, when Pedro Teixeira, explorer of the Amazon, began a journey up the Amazon River that lasted two years, breaching the boundaries of the Treaty of Tordesillas. Today, almost 400 years later, Rumos Práticos tells the story of journalist Olimpio Guarany who, with a small crew, decided to repeat the route, sailing a yacht around 5,500 miles to Quito, capital of Ecuador. The purpose of the expedition is to produce a documentary comparing the two Amazons separated by time.

Also check out the winners of the First Photography Contest on Pilot Services held in March, on the Brazilian Pilotage Instagram. From this edition onwards, the English version of our magazine will be available online only.

Happy reading!

Otavio Fragoso is editor in chief.

Conapra – 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 Conapra and vice-president of IMPA Ricardo Augusto Leite Falcão director vice-president Otavio Augusto Fragoso Alves da Silva directors Bruno Fonseca de Oliveira João Bosco de Brito Vasconcelos Marcos de Castro Alves

Rumos Práticos planning Otavio Fragoso/Flávia Pires/Katia Piranda editor Otavio Fragoso writer Rodrigo March (journalist in charge) MTb/RJ 23.386 revision Julia Grillo translation Elvyn Marshall 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 Conapra’s viewpoint.

index

Pilotage challenges in Pernambuco

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How to receive autonomous ships (article)

21

Interview with the Maritime Court president

28

São Francisco pilot station installs simulator

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Yachtsman repeats Pedro Teixeira's expedition

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Winners of the First Photography Contest

photo: Gustavo Stephan

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pilotage in Brazil

Different realities in the Pernambuco pilotage zone

PERNAMBUCO

In Suape pilots collaborate for new operations, but in Recife they need to cope with port restrictions

BOA VIAGEM OPERATIONS CENTER

Pernambuco Pilotage, regulated by the Brazilian Navy on February 28, 1854, watched the urban spread of Recife from the port and, 40 kilometers from the capital, the emergence of the Suape port complex in Ipojuca municipality. The profession has also changed over those 167 years. It grew from a pilots’ association to begin operating and setting up as a company. Today, it contributes to implementing new operations in Suape and to overcome infrastructure bottlenecks in Recife, which suffers from siltation. Rumos Práticos visited Pilot Station 9 for the fourth report of the series on Brazilian pilot stations.

photos: Gustavo Stephan

The 19 pilots who work in Pernambuco state are together in the same company. Four of them are always on duty, on a 24-hour watch to attend the ships. They are backed by seven (7) watchtower operators (one trainee) and 22 sailors: 16 allocated to the Suape base, with three pilot boats, and six in Recife with one pilot boat. They all work as masters and bow masters, taking turns in the positions in order to maintain certification. There is also a fifth pilot boat that substitutes any undergoing regular maintenance.

This is a ZP with little navigation since there is a short distance between the boarding point and the port, but with a wide variety of maneuvers and vessels, such as tankers, container ships, Ro-Ro, bulk and passenger (pre-pandemic) carriers. In December and January there were 297 pilot services in Suape and 27 in Recife.

SEAMEN RODRIGO RODRIGUES AND ABMAEL EUCLIDES

pilotage in Brazil

Recife Port

Vard Promar Shipyard Atlântico Sul Shipyard

Suape Port

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pilotage in Brazil

In Suape, ship-to-ship mooring is very common for transferring bulk liquids, such as LPG (cooking gas), bunker fuel (shipping) and petroleum. This kind of cargo and the increase in container ships in 2020 boosted the port’s results, which handled a record 25.6 million tons, an increase of 7.53%, since the start of its operations in 1983.

The large bulk fuel carriers covered 74% of the port complex handling, which ranks first among Brazilian public ports, and is also the main one among the public cabotage ports – Suape and Recife are managed by the Pernambuco state government by delegation of the Central Government. Rumos Práticos accompanied the maneuver of the 225m-long tanker BW Princess carrying LPG to change piers in the external port; as well as the arrival in the internal port of the 183m-long tanker Falcon Maryam, which turned and moored alongside the Eagle Parana.

“Alongside-mooring maneuvers are very sensitive. You have to be very careful when moving the ship across alongside because it has to touch the pneumatic fender very slowly. The fender absorbs and then expands very forcefully. If the ship touches at speed, it will recoil very abruptly and could cause an accident”, explains pilot Marcio Cajaty, who handled the Falcon Maryam. “I always prefer to moor using the ship’s ropes, without the tug to push at the maneuver’s final instant. The ship then turns the ropes and tightens them, and the tug is just there to stay in place. On completing mooring, I use the tug to keep the ship moored. I try to do this in most maneuvers of this kind. It is slower but much safer.”

The Greek captain of the Falcon Maryam, Konstantinos Koumpias, praised the maneuver: “Brazilian pilots not only operate and communicate very well with the bridge crew, but are also punctually onboard, which is very important."

PRÁTICO IRUÁ

MANEUVER BY PILOT IRUÁ CONCEIÇÃO

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One of the challenges in Suape is the bend of practically 90o to enter the internal port. In winter, winds of more than 20 knots complicate the task even further. The ships sail very close to the mooring facilities from the external port. Pilot Mares Guia, with 38 years’ experience of pilotage, has already prevented an accident there.

“It was a night-time arrival of a large heavy container ship and it was very windy. I gave the helm order but the ship did not move. I had to put full force behind and release the two anchors. I stopped very close to the terminals”, he recalls, and after this incident he began using a tug mid-stern of the vessels. “It works like a brake holding abaft. You don’t gain speed forward, it even slows down and keeps better control of the ship.”

photos: Gustavo Stephan

In April, the Maritime Authorities approved the 366-meter long New Panamax container vessels in Suape. The approval depended on active involvement of the pilots, who participated in the simulations in São Paulo University Numerical Offshore Tank (TPN-USP).

Four pilots had already trained abroad on manned small-scale models, which reproduce the behavior of the life-size large vessels.

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pilotage in Brazil

“Handling ships with a maximum length of 336m was already a reality in Suape. We are ready, however, always dedicated to facilitate this next step with safety”, says pilot Alexander Kreuger, who has worked for more than ten years in the state.

To provide safer handling of these megaships, which involve two pilots, the pilotage has backed the development of a national Portable Pilot Unit (PPU), now being tested. The portable equipment helps make decisions during the maneuvers, providing more accurate information on the ship’s positioning than the vessels’ onboard systems could.

The apparatus was manufactured by Navigandi, incubated in USP, and is one of the most accurate in the world, to centimeter precision. The pilot speedily installs it when he boards the ship.

One or two antennas are fixed to the ship’s wing to provide data to a tablet that displays the electronic chart.

“The available foreign equipment works well but it has its limitations. Our tool’s great advantage is the possibility of integrating specific information for each port, and of being configured to meet the requirements of each pilot station”, emphasizes pilot Hans Hutzler.

PILOT MARCIO CAJATY

PILOT TOMÁS HATHERLY WITH PPU

The Brazilian PPU is able to integrate all the meteoceanographic data of a port, as well as information of the dynamic draft system (ReDraft), another pilotage investment in the process of approval.

The technology calculates more accurately the ships’ maximum draft, offering safety and productivity. The pilot station is also installing a tide gauge at its Suape base.

photos: Gustavo Stephan

“Our mission requires continuous search of technical solutions for the challenges we face every day. Many of them have repercussions that benefit other parties, even if indirectly. There are impacts, in fact, on optimizing investments in new operations, on the economy with dredging and on cutting transportation costs”, pointed out pilot Tomás Hatherly, president of the Pernambuco pilot station, who has been engaged in the PPU project since it started.

Paulo Coimbra, director of Suape Port Management, affirms that the existence of the Abreu e Lima Refinery in the port complex has helped the trio Maritime Authority, Port Authority and Pilotage to strengthen the safety system: “We have to handle over 19 million tons of liquid bulk every year, which includes a series of risks. The port’s key role is to provide

pilotage in Brazil

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safety for these operations and this is directly linked to what the pilots do, to the equipment provided and pilot training. On our side, we deliver the infrastructure. And the Maritime Authority advises us on supervision.”

According to the director, the port is expected to expand with the revival of Atlântico Sul and Vard Promar shipyards through new vocations. One of the alternatives is the implementation of thermal power plants, like that in Port of Açu, in Rio de Janeiro, where a vessel is anchored to receive LNG (liquefied natural gas) for regasification.

IN THE PORT OF RECIFE PILOT MARES GUIA

Although in Suape the operations are fast moving ahead, in Recife the pilots cooperate by offering their expertise to overcome difficulties. The major problem is the siltation of the port, which is impacted by the outflow of the Capibaribe and Beberibe Rivers, which requires regular maintenance of the depths. Ships pass with an under-keel clearance of two meters. The maximum draft of a ship in the summer is 9.80 meters at two-meter high tide, compared to 14.80 meters in Suape under the same conditions.

“Ship handling is very difficult because the ship sails close to the bottom, reducing governability”, says pilot Iruá Conceição, in the pilot station since 1982.

Despite the problem, before the pandemic Recife would receive cruise ships, 300 meters long, but which would need to make a half-turn and reverse in, since siltation prevents the ship from turning inside the port. Another setback caused by this situation is that the Pernambuco ports lack the proper bathymetric equipment to measure the depths as often as they should.

“Maceió used to have a serious siltation problem that was resolved in 2018 with dredging. This made ship handling much safer”, stressed pilot Hugo Frazão, working in Pernambuco since December 2020 after the merger of the Alagoas and Sergipe pilot stations.

Rumos Práticos tried to accompany a maneuver in Recife, but after going on board, the pilot was told that one of the tugs would only be ready in about two hours time.

In 2020, the port handled 1,281,354 tons against the 1,412,426 tons in 2019. In 2011, it actually handled two million tons. The main cargoes involved are soda ash, fertilizers, barley malt, sugar and wheat.

In March, Marconi Muzzio, president of the port of Recife, stated in a Nordeste Export live interview that dredging is a key priority of his management: “This is a project with the federal government. The funds are authorized and on the point of being released. It’s a project worth around BRL28 million. It’s still not ideal for tackling siltation, but considering we’ve been more than ten years without dredging, we will greatly improve performance. We keep track of this issue on a daily basis. We also have many areas available for operation. Dredging is the first step. The only way we’ll be able to balance the fiscal management is to generate more revenue from the port operations.”

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pilotage in Brazil

STORY OF RECIFE’S HERO-PILOT IN A COMIC STRIP "Hero-pilot tows away a burning ship and saves Recife Port", announced O Globo newspaper on May 13th, 1985. Thirty-five years later the story of the pilot, who prevented a major tragedy in the city, will be told in a comic strip by photojournalist and illustrator Glaydson Gomes, from Olinda.

In the early hours of May 12th that year, one of the three tanks of the oil tanker Jatobá, moored with 1,500 tons of cooking gas, exploded around 300 meters from the tank storage facilities. The site stored 153,000 cubic meters of fuel. The fire brigade spent four hours cooling the tank, but failed to put out the flames, so pilot Nelcy Campos towed the ship away from the coast. At the time, a chain reaction of explosions would have destroyed five neighborhoods over a radius of five kilometers, a disaster of similar proportions as occurred in 2020 in the port area of Beirut in Lebanon and which left hundreds of dead and thousands of injured.

Glaydson Gomes, who has had publications in the Comic Con Experience (aka CCXP, the world’s largest pop culture festival), only learned about the story last September, from a nephew of Nelcy Campos. He immediately decided to tell the story in a comic strip, with or without financial support. After researching, he created the script, sketched it and it is now in its final artwork. The idea is to release it at events in that sector, especially for the young.

“I didn’t imagine how big the story was. I have already drawn many heroes but it’s the first time I’ve drawn a real-life hero. His superpower was courage. A lot of people don’t know his story, and that’s why I decided to tell it. It had a happy ending but, if something had gone wrong, hundreds of people could have died and Old Recife, as it is called, would not exist as we know it today”, believes Glaydson Gomes.

photo: Gustavo Stephan

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PORT’S TECHNOLOGIES FOR AUTONOMOUS SHIPS IN PILOTAGE WATERS C Helio Sinohara PILOT IN PARANAGUÁ AND STUDYING FOR HIS DOCTORATE IN THE MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT OF SÃO PAULO UNIVERSITY (EPUSP) AND AT THE MANEUVERING SIMULATIONS CENTER OF THE NUMERICAL OFFSHORE TANK (TPN)

Eduardo Aoun Tannuri FULL PROFESSOR IN THE EPUSP DEPARTMENT OF MECHATRONICS ENGINEERING AND MECHANICAL SYSTEMS AND COORDINATOR OF THE TPN MANEUVERING SIMULATIONS CENTER

FIGURE 1 PILOT BOARDING AREA AND GALHETA CHANNEL

SOURCE: NAUTICAL CHART 1821 - BRAZILIAN NAVY

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A

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1. INTRODUCTION Navigation in restricted pilotage waters is quite different from the one in deep-sea conditions. There are higher risks involved when compared to sailing in the open sea. Knowledge of the particular waterway and expertise in ship handling is imperative. Shallow and congested waters, rocks, the proximity of ports, buoys, no-go areas and the greater influence of environmental forces at lower speeds will require more precise and skilful manoeuvres and navigation. In such areas, pilots board ships and, based on their experience, use techniques learned and tested over the years to safely conduct vessels to the destination. Besides their deep knowledge of the seabed and the skills in handling various types and sizes of the ship, they must keep the situational awareness considering all factors that may influence the passage, such as type of bottom, wind, current, tide, waves, visibility and traffic.

In a similar way, in restricted waters, we expect the autonomous ships to be highly manoeuvrable and consider seabed depths when planning the passage. However, to conduct safe navigation in those waterways, that is not enough. It will likely be necessary for the autonomous ship to take into account the same external factors that pilots do. For instance, the internal vessels’ equipments and sensors can measure the prevailing wind and current at the ship’s location. They can detect the Automatic Identification System targets in its vicinities as well. Nevertheless, the pilots do not consider only the forces acting upon the ship at the present location. They also estimate how strong those forces and other influences will be in the future when the ship reaches a critical area. Speed is controlled to avoid meeting vessels in unsafe areas, prevent reaching narrow passages in dangerous conditions, and wait for tugs availability.

In order to provide the autonomous ship with the required information to enter restricted pilotage waters, ports should be adapted and upgraded. Nevertheless, many of the sensors and equipments already installed in some ports could be used to provide some of the required data.

1.1. ROLE OF THE PILOTAGE The pilots need to know in advance the conditions they will face in critical areas, so they can plan to compensate external forces and influences or even avoid dangerous situations just by controlling the ship’s speed. Anticipation is at the core of the pilot’s job. From the comparison between stopping a car and stopping a ship, it is possible to understand why. A car moving at 15Km/h can easily stop in a few seconds after advancing only 10 meters. A typical medium-size ship at the same speed would take up to 10 minutes and might require about 1.800 meters to stop.

There are situations when unexpected external forces affect the ship so that it is not possible to avoid an accident. Nevertheless, in similar conditions, if the pilot is aware of those forces early enough, he can compensate for its effects way before the vessel is affected and make it a routine manoeuvre instead of a dangerous passage.

2. METHODOLOGY During the navigation of manned vessels, marine and river pilots collect information from several sources before giving helm, engine and tug orders. They manage risks to maximize the port, the ship and the fairway safety and efficiency. To obtain the required information, pilots may observe the surroundings and other vessels, check tide tables/weather forecast, communicate by radio, and use their knowledge about the region.

To investigate which are the most relevant external factors that should be considered during the navigation in pilotage waters, we had the assistance of the Paranaguá and Antonina marine pilots. A preliminary survey was conducted questioning some of the pilots about the information they require to conduct a navigation or manoeuvre. In this step, the pilots were also invited to indicate which are the most critical passages for the navigation of ships in Paranaguá Port and its access. The purpose of this preliminary survey was to obtain the necessary information to allow us to elaborate a formal questionnaire that would be sent to all Paranaguá Pilots.

Seven pilots were interviewed in this preliminary survey and we focused on the information that should be obtained externally and is not available in the ships’ instruments. From the results of the preliminary survey, we were apprised of two of the most critical passages for Paranagua Pilots: the entrance of Galheta Channel (area A, Figure 1) and the passage F1 (Figure 4). Then, we prepared and sent to the pilots the following questionnaire:

2.1. THE QUESTIONNAIRE With the outcome of the preliminary survey, a new survey questionnaire was designed. This second survey also focuses on identifying the main influences on the pilotage navigation/ manoeuvre to allow the proposal equipment and systems that could supply such information and consisted of 2 questions. The purpose of these questions was to investigate the information that pilots consider relevant during the manoeuvre or navigation of ships in Paranagua Port or its access channel, with regard only to the information NOT AVAILABLE ONBOARD (in the ships’ instruments and sensors).

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Question 1 addressed which of the factors, influences, or information should pilots consider when planning or conducting pilotage navigation or manoeuvre. These factors, influences, or information include the following aspects: current at critical areas, tide, wind, visibility, occupied berths and prospects of availability, occupied anchorages and prospects of availability, expected traffic, weather forecast and tugs availability. In this context, this question investigated how pilots estimate the above factors without the assistance of electronic equipment or sensors installed in the port and how pilots would access or use the information if electronic equipment and sensors are available. In the current survey, sensors include current, wind and visibility sensors, weather stations, maregraphs and similar ones.

Question 2 investigated if there were other factors, influences or information that should be taken into account. In the case of a positive answer, pilots were invited to indicate these influences, and how they could be estimated without the assistance of electronic equipment or sensors. Pilots were also requested to inform how they would obtain the information if electronic equipment and sensors were available.

2.2. QUESTIONNAIRE RESULTS When we sent the questionnaire to the pilotage, there were 32 pilots working in the Paranaguá pilotage area. 20 of these pilots answered the questionnaire, representing a total of 62.5% of the population. The results of the survey are shown in Graph 1.

IMPORTANT FACTORS FOR NAVIGATION AND MANOEUVRE 19

20

20

20

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MOORING MEN

TUGS AVAILABILITY

WEATHER FORECAST

TRAFFIC

AVAILABLE ANCHORAGES

AVAILABLE BERTHS

VISIBILITY

WIND

TIDE

1

1

1 WAVES

20

SPACE AVAILABLE FOR BERTHING

20

CURRENT

20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0

Number of pilots that consider an important factor (20 pilots answered the questionnaire) GRAPH 1: SURVEY RESULTS

For each one of the factors shown in Graph 1, the pilots also described how they obtain the required information with no use of port sensors or electronics. Although, in some cases, there are sensors available in Paranaguá and Antonina ports, pilots frequently double-check the information obtained using old-fashioned reliable techniques. Nevertheless, all of the 20 pilots participating in this

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survey informed that they are already using some information from the available sensors and/or they would use the data from new sensors and support systems if it becomes available. However, each port (or restricted waterway) has its peculiarities. This work does not intend to cover all possible external factors that should be taken into consideration in all pilotage waters.

3. CASE STUDY: PARANAGUÁ PORT, BRAZIL Each port in the world that will receive autonomous ships will require specific solutions to provide the necessary information to these vessels. In this work we will discuss the Paranaguá Port case and how it could be adapted to be prepared for this future demand.

3.1. PARANAGUÁ PORT NOWADAYS Paraná Ports is a complex that includes the Paranaguá Port and the Antonina Port. Paranaguá Port is one of the busiest ports in South America. Various types of ship call this port, such as container ships, car carriers, tankers, bulk carriers, general cargo and passenger ships.

To bring vessels to Paranaguá and Antonina ports, pilots embark on ships at open sea, in the area A of the nautical chart shown in Figure 1. Then the ships enter the Galheta Channel, navigating through the areas B, C, D and E. After sailing for 15 nautical miles, the vessel reaches Paranaguá Port, located in the vicinities of the route F2 (Figure 4).

Many improvements in these ports were implemented to assist the pilots in their tasks, bringing more safety and efficiency to the manoeuvres. Paraná Ports are equipped with 7 maregraphs, 2 weather stations, 2 current sensors in areas F1 and in Cattalini Terminal, 1 ODAS (Ocean Data Acquisition System) buoy in area A, Shore AIS antenna, Cameras to check visibility, a Pilot Station Traffic Control Centre, 1 anemometer and 1 anemoscope besides those in the weather stations, installed in Cattalini Terminal.

The data received from the sensors are available at the Pilot Station. The data can be accessed from personal computers, tablets and mobile phones by the pilots on duty through a webbased system. Besides the sensors’ information, the system can inform pilots about expected traffic, ships’ positions, AIS data, regulations and tide table.

In severe weather conditions, waves, wind, sideways current and bad visibility in area A (Figure 1) may become too risky for pilots’ boarding or disembarkation, and even for the navigation. As area A

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is about 15 nautical miles far from the port and the Pilot Station Traffic Control Centre, assessing the prevailing conditions and risks to the pilotage boarding and navigation was extremely improved and expedited after the pilotage installed an ODAS buoy in area A shown in figure 1 (pages 14-15).

The Traffic Control Center of the Pilot Station is shown in Figure 2.

It is possible to contact pilots, tugs and vessels from this room to inform them about expected traffic, weather forecast and environmental conditions. There are several sensors installed along the port area and channel.

FIGURE 2: PILOT STATION’S TRAFFIC CONTROL CENTRE

3.2. PORT FEATURES TO BE PREPARED FOR THE AUTONOMOUS SHIPS Possibly, autonomous ships will soon be capable of navigating in the open sea without external interference or assistance in most situations. However, this may not be the case in restricted waters.

Due to geographical peculiarities, the ports or fairways control centres will probably have an important role and they should provide the autonomous ships with the information necessary to conduct safe navigation when in restricted pilotage waters.

Sensors’ data with redundancy and robust communication methods must be available. A control centre or a Vessel Traffic Service should manage the authorizations and schedules for sailing and manoeuvres.

Besides the sensors mentioned before (current, wind, waves, visibility sensors and maregraphs), the pieces of equipment available in the ports should include image recognition cameras, AIS and radars. All the equipment should have redundant systems to feed autonomous ships with the required data and assist the security team in preventing smuggling, piracy, and stowaways. Sensors, cameras and AIS antennas should be placed in locations indicated by the pilots as areas of interest.

The autonomous ships must be prepared for unforeseen situations, emergencies and poor communications during the passage in restricted waters. Contingency plans, available anchorages, abort

points, expected traffic, no-go areas and depth changes should be informed to the autonomous ship before the beginning of the passage, always taking into account: draft, cargo, type of vessel and manoeuvring capabilities. Speed limits, availability of tugs and their bollard pull should be informed, as any relevant restriction or regulation.

On the other hand, the autonomous ships should share with the port’s control centre several types of information to allow the port control to be effective in managing the traffic and information.

Each vessel should inform details of the passage plan, including planned route and speed, position, heading, turn rate, traffic in the vicinities (including small boats), environmental sensors data, manoeuvring restrictions, dangerous cargo, echo sounder data and draft. If at any moment the ship’s situational awareness system identifies discrepancies or changes in the status, or even if an action should be taken to avoid collision, the port control centre should be informed immediately.

The information sent by the vessels to the port control centre should feed a database that will allow a decision support software/system to recommend actions/alternative routes, calculate meeting points, ETAs, to call tugs and mooring men (if necessary).

This software might also compile all vessels' information to improve the quality of the data about the port conditions. The echo sounder data, for example, can indicate that the depths in the channel do not correspond to the information in the nautical chart.

A traffic management software at the control centre should exchange and update information with all vessels in its range and assist the operators in decision making.

3.3. THE GALHETA CHANNEL AND AUTONOMOUS SHIPPING In this subsection, we will describe two of the critical passages in Paranaguá Port and propose how the port can be prepared to provide the data required by an autonomous ship to conduct safe navigation in this area. For both passages, the coordination of a port control centre for autonomous ships will be required. A digital coordination system at this control centre will collect the data from all available sensors, beside expected loading/discharging completion time, traffic, tugs, and any other information that may be required during the passages. Information will be exchanged, through a reliable communication network, with all ships in the port area.

The autonomous ships should send, to the port control centre, information regarding: • Planned routes and speed.

• Ships’ actual draft.

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• Environmental information from ships’ sensors (allowing the confirmation of the port sensors’ data and expansion of the region covered by sensors).

• Ship’s deficiencies.

• Targets without AIS (identified by the autonomous ship).

The port control centre should send, to the autonomous ship, information regarding: • Contingency plans, including those necessary in poor communication with the port control centre. The contingency plans must be updated whenever required by the circumstances.

•Position of known targets without AIS (obtained by shore-based radars, shore image recognition systems or informed by other ships).

• Known discrepancies in the charted information.

• Speed limits and other navigational requirement of the local regulations.

3.3.1. THE ENTRANCE

height, expected current direction and intensity during the berth/ unberth manoeuvre, expected traffic, ship’s average speed, length of the passage, and berth availability. After computing all these data, the port control centre can calculate the suitable time window for the autonomous ship's entrance or departure.

Besides the time window, the port control should provide the data about visibility, current, wind and tide regarding the area between A1 and A2 (Figure 3) and the expected traffic during the whole passage to the berth. Dangers to navigation should be reported to the ship. Computing all these data, the autonomous ship could, when approaching the entrance of the channel, adjust course and speed, or even abort the entrance if prevailing conditions are unsafe.

3.3.2. PASSAGE IN BUOYS 28A, 29, 30 AND 31 One of the most critical passages in the Paranaguá port is located in the region surrounded by the buoys 28A/30 and 29/31 in the Galheta Channel. In Figure 4, route F1, in red, passes across this region. It is narrow, and the vessel turns to pass between buoys.

There are rocks in both sides, and the resultant current and wind forces may set the vessels sideways towards the rocks.

SOURCE: NAUTICAL CHART 1821 (BRAZILIAN NAVY)

• Discrepancies in the charted information found by vessels during the passage (this allows the port control centre to track changes in channels depths and deficiencies in aids to navigation).

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The first challenge that pilots face after boarding a ship in area A (Figure 1) is entering Galheta Channel between buoys 1 and 2, and then navigate its first 2 nautical miles (between waypoints A1 and A2 in Figure 3). Out of the channel, in both sides, there are shallow areas. Strong winds, big waves and strong sideways current in this region caused groundings in the past. Even when the conditions are not too extreme, if the pilot is not aware of them early enough, he may not be able to avoid an accident.

Although the pilot boarding manoeuvre cannot be conducted at high speeds, to enter safely in the channel in unfavourable conditions, the ship has to proceed at sufficient speed, higher than in calm weather days, apply a leeway in order to compensate for the set, and navigate closer to the buoys in the side opposite to the one she is being set to. Meeting other vessels in this region is prohibited by regulations. This means that, after boarding the ship only 2 nautical miles before the entrance of the channel, the pilot must climb the ladder, proceed to the bridge, be aware of the traffic, control the vessel’s speed, adjust her course and heading to compensate for the external forces and avoid dangerous meetings.

For the entrance of an autonomous ship in Galheta Channel, the port should provide various types of data to the vessel even before her approach. Time of berthing and unberthing manoeuvres are scheduled based on many criteria to avoid unacceptable or unnecessary risks. Among these criteria, there are: ship’s draft, tide

FIGURE 3: CRITICAL PASSAGE IN THE ENTRANCE OF GALHETA CHANNEL

According to the pilots, the speed should be in an interval that allows making fast tugs safely but also avoid excessive drift. The planned route should be closer to the buoys in the side that is opposite to the set. Nevertheless, if current and wind are not strong, the ship can proceed in the middle of the channel at lower speeds. If the draft is high, the passage should be conducted in high water.

The port should provide an autonomous ship with the following information regarding the critical area: availability of tugs and

article

SOURCE: NAUTICAL CHART 1822 (BRAZILIAN NAVY)

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FIGURE 4: CRITICAL PASSAGE IN PARANAGUÁ PORT

predicted current, wind, visibility, tide height and traffic at the expected time of the passage. All these data must be processed by the autonomous ship in advance in order to adjust the speed to reach that area with a favourable tide, without strong currents, avoiding dangerous meetings and having tugs available. Way before the ship is affected by the lateral forces, her route should be corrected to compensate for the set while turning to pass between buoys. If the ship ignores the information from the port and proceeds in the middle of the channel at low speed, she may run aground in the rocks even if she reacts immediately to the external forces.

4. CONCLUSIONS

The autonomous ship could consider taking the alternative route F2. Although wind and lateral current may affect the vessel during the passage F2, this route is straight and even wider than passage F1. It seems, at first, to be a better option. But there may be ships alongside in area F2 limiting the sea room and the maximum safe speed for the passage. Besides, gantry cranes may be operating and reducing the maximum safe air draft and channel width.

Pilotage will play an important and essential role in upgrading ports to receive autonomous ships. Pilots have the skills and knowledge to identify critical areas and factors to be taken into account during navigation. They are also the best professionals to prepare passage and contingency plans to be shared with the unmanned vessels.

In meeting situations, one vessel could take route F1, and the other could take route F2. To accomplish the meeting manoeuvre, they should exchange routes in advance. The port control center should coordinate the meeting considering size of ships, cargo, draft, vessels alongside, windage area, speed and environmental forces expected in the meeting time.

Nowadays, there is a current sensor and a maregraph installed in the vicinities of the areas F1 and F2. There is another current sensor about 2 miles from this area. Extra anemometers, anemoscopes and visibility sensors should be installed in those areas. The communication systems should be improved to become more reliable.

Image recognition cameras should inform about any obstacle found in the fairway and all the sensors must be at least duplicated.

The traffic control is currently conducted by the pilot station, but the autonomous ships will require an upgraded coordination centre to exchange data, make recommendations and give authorizations.

Autonomous ships may be able to, soon, navigate in open sea, recognise objects and change course/speed to avoid collision.

Nevertheless, when it comes to restricted waters, other challenges arise and, to overcome them, smart ports prepared to receive such vessels should be designed.

New types of equipment and software will be necessary in ports, although some parts of this complex system may already be available nowadays, especially in smart ports. The existing equipments could be integrated to the control centre system for autonomous ships. A robust port coordination centre can manage traffic, communications and concentrate sensors’ and ships’ data, always evaluating prevailing conditions and vessels’ particulars.

The port’s equipment must be designed to provide early and reliable information to autonomous ships, allowing these vessels to anticipate external influences and previously compensate it, instead of reacting only when they are already being affected.

Safe navigation in these areas will be a result of autonomous ships and smart ports working together as one complex system.

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Accidents are minimal

photo: Gustavo Stephan

LIMA FILHO, PRESIDENT OF THE MARITIME COURT: "WE HAVE ONLY HAD 173 CASES INVOLVING PILOTS IN 16 YEARS"

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interview

The Maritime Court, coming up for its 87-year anniversary in July, also needed to adapt in order to continue judging the accidents and navigation facts in the pandemic. After all, ships carrying essential goods and inputs for the population cannot stop.

Rumos Práticos interviewed the presiding judge of the Court of Law of the Sea, Vice-Admiral Wilson Pereira de Lima Filho, former director of Ports and Coasts of the Brazilian Navy (2015-2018). In addition to talking about the challenges imposed by Covid-19, he also answered questions about topics such as a pilot’s safety in embarking and disembarking; quality of the pilotage service and the single rotation schedule; the pilot’s responsibility in the light of the Court’s jurisdiction; and questions on the agenda of the sector such as autonomous ships and port infrastructure.

The Maritime Court, installed in a historic building in downtown Rio de Janeiro, is an autonomous entity, assistant to the Judiciary and bound by the Brazilian Navy command. Besides being assigned to judging accidents and shipping facts throughout national territory, it provides notary work, such as Maritime Property registration. Its technical decisions have relevant probative value and serve as a basis for common law.

Another six judges comprise the Court, with complementary backgrounds. Two are military: Judge Attila (Commodore of the Navy Training Center) and Judge Padilha (Commodore of the Brazilian Navy’s Engineers Corps). The other four judges are civil: Judge Nelson (vice-president, specialist in maritime law); Judge Marcelo (specialist in international law); Judge Maria Cristina (specialist in fitting out ships and commercial shipping); and Judge Ladeiras (captain of ocean-going vessels of the Merchant Navy).

In the past 16 years, there have been only 173 accidents involving pilots, which corresponds to 1.46% of the 11,850 cases brought to court. "The service is essential and of high quality", stresses Lima Filho below.

photo: Gustavo Stephan

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interview

RUMOS PRÁTICOS: IN JULY YOU WILL BE COMPLETING THREE YEARS AS PRESIDENT. HOW MIGHT YOUR PAST EXPERIENCE OF OVER 40 YEARS IN THE NAVY CONTRIBUTE TO THE COURT’S ACTIONS IN FAVOR OF NAVIGATION SAFETY? Since 2002, I have been working in this area of the Maritime Authority. I was captain of the ports of Alagoas and Rio de Janeiro, then I worked in this maritime area in the Naval Operations Command, I was at the head of a Naval District (8th District) and was director of Ports and Coasts for almost three years. This experience helps me a lot in running the Court, because I went through the stage of inspector (in the Port Authorities), regulator (in DPC) and now judge in the Maritime Court since 2018.

RP: HOW DID THE COURT MANAGE TO ADAPT IN ORDER TO KEEP HOLDING JUDGMENTS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES DURING THE PANDEMIC?

photo: Gustavo Stephan

When the pandemic began, I was forced to take a series of measures: some worked from home, and I had to reduce the office staff. But accidents still happen, as well as the demand for vessel registration. So, after a short period of confusion, I had the idea of holding trials on a virtual platform, with the participation of the judges, lawyers and Special Navy Procurator’s Office (“Public Ministry of the Sea”). We set up the legal justification for trial by videoconference and in 30 days we began the sessions. We only stopped for a month. In August 2020, when the pandemic improved a little, we moved to alternating sessions: Tuesdays in court and

Thursdays videoconferencing. We practically maintained productivity in accident trials but we improved in vessel registration.

Another measure taken was to implement remote support of lawyers in their cities via videoconferencing. It was an old claim, especially by low-income people, to avoid travel costs to Rio de Janeiro, where the Maritime Court is. We also implemented the electronic procedure for documents, with support from the Federal Regional Court of the 4th Region. All consultations and petitions can be made from home.

RP: HOW MANY CASES DOES THE COURT JUDGE IN A YEAR? HOW DOES THIS NUMBER PERFORM HISTORICALLY? WHAT KIND OF OCCURRENCE DO MOST CASES DEAL WITH? The average is 740 cases a year. In 2019, we had a record: 898.

In 2020, there were 720. The three main kinds of accidents are shipwreck, collision (between vessels) and impact, mostly involving small vessels.

RP: HOW DO YOU EVALUATE THIS AVERAGE IN RELATION TO THE WATERWAY TRAFFIC WE HAVE IN BRAZIL? I dare say that our territorial waters are safe if we consider the quantity of ships that enter our ports, from North to South, with almost 200 port facilities. The number of accidents with merchant ships is very small. Most involve sport and leisure craft, caused by human error, and by ships also. We judge accidents ranging from a jet ski to an oil rig. Our jurisdiction is very widespread.

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RP: EVERY YEAR THE INTERNATIONAL MARITIME PILOTS’ ASSOCIATION (IMPA) DOES RESEARCH ON THE CONSERVATION AND CORRECT INSTALLATION OF THE PILOTS’ EMBARKING AND DISEMBARKING ARRANGEMENTS. UNFORTUNATELY, ONE IN EIGHT HAS A PROBLEM. HOW CAN YOU REDUCE THESE IRREGULARITIES THAT ENDANGER A PILOT’S LIFE IF THIS NUMBER STILL CONTINUES?

I recognized the professionalism of this category. The service is essential and top quality. Do accidents happen? Yes, but given the quantity of maneuvers, they are minimal. In 16 years from 2005 to 2020, we have had only 173 accidents involving pilots. This corresponds to 1.46% of the 11,850 cases judged. Sometimes they are minor accidents, because we judge them ranging from a minor impact on the quay to a collision of major consequences.

I see three major aspects: the pilot, the pilot’s boat and the ship.

When I say ship, I also mean if it is on route and at the proper speed in addition to the steady course. With regard to the facilities, they need to comply with the requirements of the Brazilian Navy standard NORMAM-5 (for approval of material). I have accompanied the role of the Maritime Authority on both flat-state and port-state inspections, and these points are being inspected. Now, the pilots must inform the port authorities about any perceived abnormality.

They are the first to board the ship, they are the eyes of the Brazilian State. They must also be healthy, in conditions to climb up that ladder. The pilots know what they can do. Sometimes, they’re in perfect health, but still find it hard to climb a ladder. They must also measure the right time to embark and disembark and whether it is hazardous or not to do so.

RP: WHEN REGULATING PILOTAGE, WHAT IS IT THAT CONTRIBUTES TO GUARANTEEING QUALITY IN PROVIDING THE SERVICE?

RP: AND THE PILOT BOAT? The pilot boat has to have its propulsion on the mark, approved and OK with the engines and boarding platform. And especially the driver needs to be skilled to stay in position when boarding and alighting.

Concerning ships, I know that the Maritime Authority has been inspecting pilot ladders.

RP: BUT WHY IS IT THEN, ACCORDING TO THE IMPA STUDY, THAT THE PROBLEMS WITH THESE ARRANGEMENTS DO NOT DIMINISH? WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH THIS TRIPOD? That is a very complicated question. The best person to answer it is the actual pilot, who is there and experiences it. We’ll raise this issue and check what accidents in the past five years involved the pilot’s boarding and alighting.

RP: BASED ON THE STATISTICS OF SHIPPING ACCIDENTS AND FACTS, HOW DOES THE MARITIME COURT CLASSIFY THE OVERALL QUALITY OF THE PILOT SERVICES PROVIDED IN BRAZIL? I’ve accompanied the pilot service since 2002 as head of the port authority in Alagoas. And whenever I talk about this I remember that in 1990, as captain of a minesweeper, I had the opportunity to welcome pilot Zé Peixe aboard. He swam to the ship, climbed the Jacob’s ladder and pulled from his shorts a plastic bag with his shirt. He put them on to talk to the captain and steered the ship in complete safety. At that moment, I, a young lieutenant commander, realized the importance of the pilot’s role. From 2002 on, therefore,

Concerning technical regulations, and the Navy’s vocation, NORMAM-12 (relating to pilot services) is fairly comprehensive, very well drafted and dynamic, constantly being updated. The exchange between the Maritime Authority and pilotage is paramount, always with very amicable and professional relations. The NORMAM-12 is a good guide to this excellent service to which I refer.

RP: IS THE SINGLE ROTATION SCHEDULE A KEY POINT OF NORMAM-12?

It is a fairly controversial matter, and some scholars are not in favor of the schedule. But I myself think it is quite interesting, since it complies with its three raisons d’être: to offer the service on a daily basis, ensure that the pilots are not tired, and to maintain their qualification. Do better models exist? I don’t know, it needs to be studied, but today it works well. I don’t have information about the arrival of a ship and no pilot being there to meet it. While there is no better model, the schedule serves us well due to those three most important aspects.

RP: ARE DATA ABOUT SHIPPING ACCIDENTS OR FACTS CATEGORIZED SO THAT THEY CAN GENERATE BASIC INFORMATION FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO POLICIES AND REGULATIONS? ARE THESE DATA DIGITALIZED? IS THERE A DATABASE WITH SEARCHABLE IMAGES AND TEXTS? IS IT POSSIBLE FROM THIS DATABASE TO GENERATE STATISTICS OF INTEREST ALSO TO STAKEHOLDERS AND OTHERS INTERESTED IN THE MARITIME ENVIRONMENT? We have created two things on our website. One is the section “Consult Decisions", which provides documents with the summary of occurrences, shipping safety recommendations and the applied punishment (you can consult by the name of the vessel involved). It is a database open to the public. I have also noted that practically no one reads these decisions, despite so many important lessons to learn. This is why I have created the Bulletin of Accident Cases in the Maritime Court. It is so successful that it is one of the widest read pages in the Brazilian Navy. The edition comes out three times a year, and addresses the most interesting accidents, with lessons learned and recommendations. Anyone interested can use it to note down the number of the case and consult the decision. Regarding photos,

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interview

in order not to cause embarrassment, we only release them at the request of the lawyers or stakeholders. I also avoid publishing in the bulletin the name of the vessel and people. It is a technical aspect. This material, in fact, could be used in the Refresher Course for Pilots (ATPR).

RP: BEARING IN MIND THAT THE TRIALS ATTRIBUTE TO THE ADMINISTRATION ENVIRONMENT RESPONSIBILITIES AND BLAME, AND THAT SUCH DECISIONS MAY BE USED IN THE CIVIL SPHERE, HOW DOES THE COURT ASSESS THE QUESTION OF LIMITATION OF THE PILOT’S LIABILITY IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT? It is a topic that has not been settled in the Brazilian legal system.

There is a divergence in doctrine and case law on the matter. Since we are not directly involved in the process running in the Court of Justice, since our role is administrative, it will not enter into the legal aspect. Our task is to clearly define the responsibilities. If the pilot mistakenly advised the captain, he will be sentenced. If he advised him correctly but the captain failed to follow his advice, he would not be sentenced. In some cases, there is concurrent blame, when it is the fault of both. Each case is unique, there is no general rule. We conclude our process with a technical view, with ample space for defense. We make the decision that is forwarded to support the Judiciary. The decision of our Court can bring other consequences for those involved.

RP: THE NAVY’S DIRECTORATE FOR PORTS AND COASTS DECIDES ON THE CAPACITY OF PILOTS IN EACH PILOT ZONE (ZP), WHICH MUST BE SUITED TO ENSURE THE PERMANENT SERVICE WHILE AT THE SAME TIME PERMITS ONGOING TRAINING. WE KNOW THAT IF THE PILOTS ARE MANY MORE THAN THE CAPACITY, THE PILOTS WORK LESS THAN IDEAL AND MAY LOSE THEIR SKILLS. ON THE OTHER HAND, IF THERE ARE FEWER PILOTS THAN CAPACITY, THE WORK IS EXCESSIVE AND MAY CAUSE FATIGUE. IN LIGHT OF THIS, HOW DOES THE COURT ASSESS THE MISMATCH BETWEEN SUITABLE CAPACITY AND THE HEADCOUNT? CAN IT CAUSE DISTORTIONS IN ACHIEVING THE IDEAL NUMBER OF MANEUVERS TO MAINTAIN A PILOT DULY QUALIFIED? AND HOW CAN POSSIBLE DISTORTIONS INTERFERE IN THE PILOT’S RESPONSIBILITY IN A POSSIBLE SHIPPING ACCIDENT OR EVENT? First, this transcends the jurisdiction of the Maritime Court.

Therefore, I’ll put forward my viewpoint as a scholar on the subject.

It is essential to balance between the quantity of pilots in a pilot station and the number of maneuvers. If there are too many pilots for a small number of maneuvers, the pilots will have their qualification impaired, which is not desirable. For different reasons in the past, in my opinion, there has been an increase in pilots

without necessity and, today, I think we have more professionals than are required in some ZPs. This could lead to fewer maneuvers.

This balance is very complex and, as far as I know, is constantly being undertaken by the Maritime Authority. And it is important for the National Pilots’ Council to intervene, just as it has been advising the Maritime Authority in carrying out its duties as expected in NORMAM-12. If it is found in studies that one or two pilots are missing in some ZP, in my opinion there should never be a selection process for a pilot. Rather, there should be remanagement between the pilot stations. If we have a drop in the number of pilots in the middle term, we would provide a few more maneuvers for the pilots and their proficiency. But the majority of pilot stations have a balanced status. The Ports and Coasts Directorate has this image. I now repeat: our single rotation schedule has this aspect of ensuring this proficiency. If it weren’t for that, it would be complicated and we would have pilots without maneuvers. The schedule guarantees that they all have maneuvers and maintain their proficiency as far as possible.

RP: IN EVENT OF MANEUVERS THAT REQUIRE TWO PILOTS, HOW DOES THE COURT ANALYZE THE LIABILITY OF EACH PILOT ON BOARD, IN EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT? We have not yet had a trial of this kind in the Maritime Court. Our judges will support the information gathered during the inquiry of accidents and facts of navigation (IAFN, of the Port Authorities) and later in the proceedings of the Procurator’s office. There may be situations when a pilot is actually maneuvering and the other is only there on the computer, but if the latter gave wrong information, I don’t know... The question is which of the two would be to blame before the judge. There are still no specific rules. Actually, they would see who’s on the maneuver advising the captain.

However, certainly the one on the computer would, in my opinion, be concurrently at fault if it were concluded that the pilotage was liable for the accident.

RP: HOW DOES THE COURT VIEW THE PILOT’S LIABILITY IN EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT THAT CAUSES POLLUTION WHEN ENTERING A PORT WITHOUT A CONTINGENCY PLAN? What is the liability of Maritime Court and its jurisdiction to judge pollution? When an event of this nature occurs and impacts the environment, we have to analyze it from two perspectives. First, what caused this pollution? Was it the captain who collided with the rock? Was it a collision? Let’s judge this accident. Now, regarding environmental impacts caused by a ship, an administrative process would be opened by the Port Authority, which will judge the pollution accident. And the resulting fines are astronomical. If it affected something onshore, other environmental authorities such as Ibama and ICMBio would do their own checks. We have jurisdiction to judge the factor causing the pollution.

interview

Although it is a good idea, the structure today in the Maritime Authority perfectly meets this demand, because the NORMAM-9 indicates the undertaking of a totally different investigation from the inquiry by the Port Authority (IAFN), which establishes the causes and those responsible. The safety investigation of maritime accidents and incidents (ISAIM) focuses on only learning why the accident occurred and what needs to be done so as not to repeat it. It is conducted by naval inspectors and surveyors. It is the same as Cenipa. In major accidents, we can learn two things from the many lessons: the inquiry and this investigation that is internationally published in the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

RP: WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE AUTONOMOUS SHIPS, CONSIDERING THE SHIPPING SAFETY REQUIREMENTS AND MARITIME PROTECTION OF THE PORT’S STATE? This is a topic on everyone’s agenda. Not even the IMO has concluded its studies. It is very complicated. Here, the DPC is studying this matter in depth. Some countries are issuing temporary regulations, but it is complicated. Imagine a container ship entering Rio de Janeiro port. What would happen? Can a pilot go aboard? Let’s say that there is a collision offshore. Who’s going to be represented (as culpable)? And what if the captain doesn’t cause the problem? What if it were the Internet provider? Many are sailing in those waters. Any opinion is premature.

RP: IN RELATION TO THE PORT INFRASTRUCTURE, INCLUDING ENVIRONMENTAL SENSORS, NAVIGATION AIDS AND DREDGING, HOW FAR SHOULD THE BRAZILIAN PORTS STILL NEED TO GO? The ports have not stopped in this pandemic, nor have ships and pilots. If they were to stop, when we go to the supermarket, there wouldn’t be any food. With regard to the port situation, it is a very propitious time for shipping. We have the Ministry of Infrastructure doing incredible things for the offshore industry. Modernizing ports is slow but ongoing. We already have VTMS (Vessel Traffic Management System) being implemented in some ports. It is

extremely important for us to take firm steps toward modernization.

This entry and departure control of ships has to be managed by the Brazilian State. Dredging is another considerably important aspect, and I know that several ports are in the process of dredging. Ships are getting bigger and older ports stay the same.

So we have to study and set parameters so that these ports can welcome larger ships in terms of draft, breadth and length. And pilotage emerges as a valuable advisor to the Maritime and Port Authorities. In short, the State is taking measures to prioritize port and offshore activities, such as, for example, the BR do Mar project (cabotage incentive program). I hope that it brings positive results for the economy and the seafaring professionals.

photo: Gustavo Stephan

RP: SINCE DETERMINING THE FACTS IN THE COURT’S INQUIRIES AND TRIALS FOCUSES ON FINDING CULPRITS AND THOSE INVOLVED ARE ALWAYS VERY RETICENT IN INVESTIGATIONS DUE TO FEAR OF BEING MADE LIABLE, WOULDN’T IT BE INTERESTING TO HAVE A SPECIALIST INVESTIGATION AGENCY, ALONG THE LINES OF CENIPA (AERONAUTICAL ACCIDENTS INVESTIGATION AND PREVENTION CENTER), WHICH WOULD TRY TO UNDERSTAND THE EVENT WITHOUT BEING CONCERNED IN POINTING FINGERS AND THUS PREVENT REPETITION OF ACCIDENTS?

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training

photo: São Francisco pilots

São Francisco pilots train on their own simulator

training

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The equipment simulates emergency maneuvers in adverse environmental conditions and with large ships

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training

Numerous training scenarios involving situations of shipping failures, storms and maneuvers with larger ships have been available since December to pilots of the São Francisco do Sul (Santa Catarina-SC) pilot station. A computerized bridge simulator has been installed in the pilot station headquarters for regular training of the professionals to overcome the challenges in the Pilotage Zone 18.

The supplier, Technomar Engenharia Oceânica, provided consulting services for the operation.

It enables them to accurately simulate emergency maneuvers after problems with loss of propulsion and a malfunctioning rudder; maneuvers in adverse environmental conditions such as strong winds and currents; and with larger ships operating in the ports of São Francisco do Sul and Itapoá in different scenarios.

“The simulator offers several failure patterns and introduces adverse situations by means of the instructor’s software, thus enabling efficient training. The instructor also has access to editing scenarios, which allows for an infinity of port combinations of harbor, vessel, failure, targets and environmental conditions that can be configured and provided for pilot training”, explains Roberto Castanho, executive director of São Francisco pilot station.

“The pilots have done simulations according to their needs for enhancing and training emergency procedures”, the director says.

The simulator software has the DNV GL international certificate.

Not only does it provide the pilots with training based on Resolution A.960(23) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), but it is also certified to simulate real-time maneuverability with high-standard quality hydrodynamic calibration, to undertake port-engineering projects in accordance with the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure (Pianc). This, however, is not an objective of the pilotage at the moment.

São Francisco steers vessels entering the ports of São Francisco and Itapoá, located in Babitonga Bay in northern Santa Catarina.

Currents assail both the internal and external access channels. For example, large ships entering the bay face a problem of confronting a curve of almost 90 degrees.

Before procuring the simulator, the pilots had already been trained on outsourced simulators in Brazil and abroad. Now they only need to travel abroad when requiring exercises on small-scale manned-model ships that closely reproduce life-size vessels.

photo: São Francisco pilots

He explained that the environmental pre-configurations could, in fact, be altered in the course of the simulations. Until March, exercises were carried out involving day and night entries and departures, and mooring services of bulk carriers and large container ships.

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history

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FOUR CENTURIES LATER A YACHTSMAN RETRACES THE ROUTE MADE BY THE

AMAZON TRAILBLAZER

It was the year 1637 when Pedro Teixeira, the Amazon trailblazer, began his voyage up the Amazon River that was to take two years, pushing the boundaries of the Treaty of Tordesillas. Now in 2021, almost four centuries later, journalist Olimpio Guarany and his crew aboard the yacht Kûara are retracing the voyage of around 5,500 miles with destination Quito, Ecuador.

The aim of the project “Pedro Teixeira Expedition, the new discovery of the Amazon River”, sponsored by Brazilian Pilotage, is to make a documentary comparing the two Amazons separated in time. A kind of cultural, geographic, historic and socio-environmental atlas will be created of the region that so fascinates and arouses the curiosity of the whole world.

While at the time of Pedro Teixeira the expedition involved Indian rowers and Portuguese soldiers on 45 canoes, in this more modern version, captained by Guarany, the crew is much leaner: in addition to him, who is producer, director and screenwriter, there are a producer, a cameraman, an assistant and Boris, the “canine captain”, mascot of the voyage.

The group will be responsible for capturing images, information and testimonies to produce a TV series with 24 episodes. They are also expected to create didactic material that will be made available to high schools and universities; a miniseries with six episodes on

photo: Publicity

“Pedro Teixeira Expedition, the new discovery of the Amazon River” is being told on YouTube and will produce a documentary bio-economics and productive arrangements in the Amazon; a traveling photo exhibition and a book with photos and texts.

Guarany is an amateur master and self-taught yachtsman since 1989, and for more than 20 years has been nurturing the dream of sailing up the Amazon River and its tributaries. In order to make his project iconic, he decided to add the name Pedro Teixeira.

“Even today, in the training of servicepersons in the Army and Navy, Pedro Teixeira's name is sung and highly praised for his amazing achievement. It was the expedition that he made between 1637 and 1639 that precipitated the discussion for the Madrid Treaty (signed in 1750) by which Spain acknowledged Portugal’s right to these lands where today most of the Amazon is located.

The new document enshrined the principle of Roman private law uti possidetis, ita possideats (as you possess, so may you possess)”, explains Guarany.

The journalist tells us that the fact that Teixeira set a benchmark at the confluence of the Aguarico and Napo Rivers, founded the village of Franciscana and drew up a document claiming ownership of the lands to the West on behalf of Portugal, even with these lands being under Spanish control, helped to substantiate the Portuguese thesis in the dispute.

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history

PRESERVED CUSTOMS

OLIMPIO GUARANY

Although not intending to encounter the same Amazon of Pedro Teixeira, Guarany tells how the occupation process in the region over the years, without a settlement policy and land distribution of the area, will permit the registration of an Amazon in full transformation. When he gave Rumos Práticos this interview in March, the journalist had sailed 864 miles and was then in the lower Amazon region. He started the journey in February leaving the river’s estuary in Macapá (Amapá State-AP) to reach Belém (Pará State-PA), where Teixeira began his voyage: “There is little left of what Pedro Teixeira saw in the 17th century.

The indigenous population, for example, was numerous and settled all along the riverbank. Today there are very few villages. Those who survived the white man’s occupation withdrew far into the rainforest.”

The thing that hasn't changed so much to date, comments Guarany, are the customs, especially regarding the diet and use of the rivers and rainforest as a source of survival for today’s river communities.

A population, by the way, that welcomes the Kûara crew at each stopover.

“For safety reasons, we do not sail at night. And, as the day draws to a close, we look for a port to moor or anchor near a house, with the dweller’s due permission. And that’s when the riverside communities show how welcoming and hospitable they are. These people, whom we’ve never met before, not only allow us to stay but they also welcome us into their homes. We can feel their generosity of spirit and kindness, which we try to reciprocate. Even with such a brief encounter, we take with us the feeling of close and sincere friendship”, Guarany says.

The receptivity of the river communities is a breath of fresh air, after experiencing some adversities during the expedition. The main one was the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, which delayed the planned schedule due to the need for isolation in some stretches. The crew then foresees that the journey should only finish in March 2022. And there are also the setbacks with maintenance and repairs to the boat.

No date for the documentary’s launch has been set so far, but Guarany’s expedition is available on YouTube (youtube.com/oguarany) in a series showing the logbook, the challenges and sailing navigational nuances in the region that, even after 400 years, is still a famous unknown.

BORIS, THE "CANINE CAPTAIN"

history

ARAPIUNS RIVER

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“If we look at the rainforest and imagine that this storehouse of biodiversity has not yet revealed 30% of its wealth and potential…

It's so sad that a large part of it is being destroyed without having become known to science. Who knows what solutions lie there for the problems of humanity?” says Guarany. “I hope that, especially Brazilians, are aware that it is possible to exploit the riches of the Amazon without destroying it, so that in another 400 years future generations will be able to enjoy what it can offer, and continue to spark the interest of those who want to learn more about it.”

An example of environmental care for the Amazon River mentioned

by Guarany is the pilotage service. He stresses that sailing along that river is not an easy task and the pilots’ excellence is demonstrated precisely because accident records with ships on which the professional is onboard are close to zero.

“The pilot service is a serious institution, discerning and committed to shipping safety; and safe navigation along the Amazon rivers, protecting lives and rich cargoes, means protecting the Amazon."

Guarany says that one of his crew’s assistants, a riverside dweller, is preparing to do the pilot selection process:

THE YACHT KÛARA

RIVERSIDE HOME

photos: Publicity

"I’ve noticed there is a tendency for children of riverside dwellers to move toward working on vessels sailing up and down the Amazon. I interviewed one riverside dweller who has been living more than 70 years in the same place, and of his five sons, two are Brazilian Navy officers and three are in the Merchant Navy."

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social media

CHECK OUT THE WINNERS OF THE

1ST PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST

ON PILOT SERVICES Sixty images of different pilot stations were published on Instagram

The three images below were the winners of the 1st Photography Contest on Pilot Services, held in March on the Brazilian Pilotage Instagram page. Nautical officer Erick Nanjara was the winner, with a photo of Leme Beach, Rio de Janeiro, portraying the pilots’ mission to protect the environment and society.

Aline Silva, manager of a shipping agency in Itacoatiara (Amazon State), was runner-up with a view of the sunset from the bridge of a ship anchored near the town. And deckhand Rafael Reis won third place when he registered a maneuver from Vale’s Pier IV in Maranhão State, also at sunset.

Altogether there were 60 images registered from different pilot zones in Brazil. To participate, you had to like the post of the contest’s Instagram announcement, publish the photo in the candidate’s personal profile (marking the page Brazilian Pilotage and a friend who didn’t follow the page) and share it in Stories.

Only relatives of the jury members – pilots Alexandre Rocha (ZP-21, Itajaí), Fabio Mello Fontes (ZP-16, São Paulo) and Ricardo Falcão (ZP-1, Amapá) – were not allowed to participate. The winners were awarded pilotage kits and their winning photos were published on the Brazilian Pilotage Instagram page.

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1ST PLACE: ZP-15 (RIO DE JANEIRO), PHOTO BY ERICK NANJARA

2ND PLACE: ZP-1 (AMAZONAS), PHOTO BY ALINE SILVA

3RD PLACE: ZP-4 (MARANHÃO), PHOTO BY RAFAEL REIS

fast & focused

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photo: Publicity

OPERATOR PREVENTS AN ACCIDENT WITH FPSO IN RIO DE JANEIRO The fast action from the pilotage operations center (watchtower) in Mangaratiba, Rio de Janeiro, prevented an accident with the FPSO Carioca MV-30 in the early hours of February 4th. Operator Raphael Damasceno raised the alarm that the FPSO, moored northwest of Ilha Grande island, was moving in the strong wind.

A pilot on his way to another maneuver rushed to attend the emergency, averting the FPSO from drifting into the middle of the shipping channel.

Partnership ISAQUIAS QUEIROZ WINS TWO MEDALS BEFORE TOKYO GAMES Isaquias Queiroz, sponsored by the Brazilian Pilotage, secured a silver medal in the 1,000-meter C1 category and bronze in the 1,000-meter C2 competition (with Jacky Godmann) in the Canoe Sprint World Cup held in May in Hungary. The Canoe Sprint competitions in the Tokyo Olympic Games will be held from August 2nd to 7th this year.

photo: Publicity

Rumos Práticos is always delighted to have active participation from everyone working in pilotage and from our readers in general. Please send your texts, technical articles, photos or other suggestions to conapra@conapra.org.br or through the Brazilian Pilotage social media.

TPN-USP PILOTS IN BAHIA PARTICIPATE IN PROJECT SIMULATIONS In February, Bahia pilot station took part in simulations in the Numerical Offshore Tank of the University of São Paulo (TPN-USP) to check navigation safety in the designs of berth three for the Liquid Bulk Terminal of Aratu Port and Salvador-Itaparica Bridge. Bahia State Pilots’ Union (Sindiprat) gave TPN-USP a plaque in appreciation of their partnership, which contributes to the service’s excellence.

Solidarity AMAPÁ PILOT STATION MAKES FURTHER DONATIONS TO ITACOATIARA (AMAZONAS-AM) Amapá pilot station, which guides vessels in Pilotage Zone 1 (Fazendinha-Amapá/ Itacoatiara-Amazonas), makes yet another round of donations to mitigate the effects of the pandemic in the municipality of Itacoatiara, where the pilots board the ships that sail down the Amazon River to the district of Fazendinha, in the state capital Macapá. Not only did the pilots donate 100 food hampers to previously registered families, but in April also donated equipment to the José Mendes Regional Hospital and to the city’s 24-hour urgent care center (UPA).

photo: Bruno Haddad

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JUNE

12

TH

46 years

of the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association

213 years

of regulated pilotage in Brazil