About the 57th General Meeting of the European Marine Pilots’ Association

The value of human capital in the scenario of artificial intelligence and autonomous ships was the focus of the meeting

Pilot Bruno Fonseca, vice-president of Brazilian Pilots, represented the agency at the 57th General Meeting of the European Marine Pilots’ Association (EMPA). The event was held in Rome, 20 years after the last edition in Italy (Genova).

The value of human capital was chosen as the guiding star of the meeting, considering the worldwide interest in accelerating the technological development regarding artificial intelligence and autonomous navigation systems.

Roberto Bunicci, president of the Italian Harbor Pilots Federation, said in his opening message:

“Developments related to virtual reality, increased reality, artificial intelligence and metaverse are extremely concerning, since specific proposals promise to substitute, completely or partially, human labor. No machine can reach the level of consciousness, alertness or decision making of human beings. We are unique in our capacity to respond with intelligence, flexibility and proportionality to changes in environments and situations. Artificial intelligence will always be limited in design, reliability and, most important of all, safety”.

Erik Dalege, president of EMPA, argues the urgent need to emphasize human contribution as a key-factor throughout the process:

“Our profession would be inconceivable without human intuition, experience, competence, know-how and the capacity of all those involved in pilotage. We are referring not only to the highly trained pilot who performs a manned ship’s extremely complex maneuver but also to the importance of onboard training, the interaction of the pilot with onshore personnel and the important task of those who bring the pilot on and off the ship.”

The event was also attended by Simon Pelletier, president of the International Maritime Pilots’ Association (IMPA). The topics were discussed in panels. In the first one, “the challenges of the human factor”, the topics debated were the reality of autonomous ships, remote pilotage and the current scenario of US pilotage.

The second panel addressed “Regulation versus the perils of pilots’ embarking”. An overview was outlined on the European Regulation 352/2017). Dutch pilot Arie Palmers gave a talk on the embarking. The French Federation of Maritime Pilots (FFPM) showed an educational video with a background of occupational accidents between 2001 and 2021 and on how to recognize irregular arrangements. There was also the presentation of the agreement between 27 Maritime Authorities (Paris MoU) which have implemented a unique system of port state control.

In the last panel on the first day – “The importance of communication in pilotage” –, the topics were the contribution of pilots for safe navigation, the pilots’ role in the bridge team, and also the presence of women in pilotage and how they arrived at the profession in the European continent.

On the second day, the topics under discussion were “Teamwork in pilotage” and “Development of occupational safety training”.

The vice-president of Brazilian Pilots considers that participation at these events is very important. Bruno Fonseca highlights that “It is a way to exchange experiences with work colleagues worldwide, and perceive how Brazilian Pilots is well organized and occupies a leading role in the global context,”

All talks are available in empagmrome2023.com, in the Press section.