IMPA elects a new executive committee and keeps Ricardo Falcão as vice-president

The Association’s congress in Mexico discussed topics such as autonomous ships and energy transition in the industry

Pilot Ricardo Falcão, president of Brazilian Pilotage, was re-elected in June for another four-year mandate at the head of one of the vicepresidencies of the International Maritime Pilots’ Association (IMPA). He was the most voted, being unanimously chosen in the election held during the 25th Congress of the Association in Cancun, Mexico.

Simon Pelletier (Canada) was also re-elected as president of IMPA. Alvaro Moreno (Panama) was chosen senior vice-president to replace Jean-Philippe Casanova (France). Neither had contenders. Completing the vice-presidencies are Adam Roberts (Australia), André Gaillard (France), Sang-Min Goag (Korea) and Paul Schoneveld (United Kingdom). The vice-presidents were elected from eight candidates.

IMPA, founded in 1971, unites pilotage associations from all over the world, one of its affiliates being the Brazilian Maritime Pilots' Association since 1981. The association’s aim is to share experiences, find solutions for common problems and represent the pilots in the global maritime community, especially in the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the UN agency that regulates navigation safety procedures.

Ricardo Falcão, vice-president of IMPA for eight years, accompanies the discussions in the IMO Maritime Safety Committee, a forum where the countries share their relevant matters and possible repercussions in international regulations, such as, for example, the future of autonomous ships. The subject, in fact, was discussed at the IMPA congress. Guy Platten, secretarygeneral of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), addressed the prospect of the industry in terms of opportunities and challenges. The IMO set 2024 as the deadline for establishing regulatory instruments for this type of operation, still on a non-binding basis. The consolidation of a mandatory framework is expected to be in force by 2028.

Paul Kirchner, from the American Pilots’ Association (APA). argued that apparently there is a growing idea that a ship’s remote control can be as safe and environmentally sustainable as onboard human control, but raised a question in his presentation: "Is the purpose of setting up an IMO regulatory system to facilitate the commercial introduction of operations, or is it to ensure that they would be safe?"

Eva Szewczyk, a researcher at Northumbria University in the UK, addressed technology limitation and risk of cyber-attacks. She presented data from a 2021 study involving 122 pilots and marine officers, where 86.4% of them expressed concern with remote pilotage.

Recently, Ricardo Falcão published an article on the topic in the magazine Portos e Navios , in which he not only stressed the economic but also the safety aspect, in the case of completely autonomous vessels: "Ships controlled by artificial intelligence require a level of hardware and software sophistication, the maintenance cost of which is still infinitely greater than keeping a crew onboard. They are not economically feasible or justifiable within the margins of error with which the sector operates. Reducing accidents caused by human error is a solution for a false dilemma, since the industry works with an enviable 99.998% efficiency.

The new fuels and energy transition in the shipping industry, as well as the maneuverability of vessels adapted or built for reduced pollution, were other issues addressed at the IMPA congress.

Henry Caubriere, president of the French Maritime Pilots’ Federation (FFPM), talked about the decarbonization process in pilotage in France. In 2020, an energy transition commission was set up. The first step was to calculate carbon emissions in the industry: 10,768 tons, equivalent to 81 trucks/year (70% from motorboats, helicopters and cars). The immediate action was to reduce the speed of motorboats in order to cut greenhouse gas consumption. By 2030, adopting alternative ways of propulsion is considered, namely electric. This type of motorboat is already being tested. "Ship owners are working hard on the matter. We cannot stay on the pier watching them work", stated Caubriere.

Nor could safety of pilot embarkation and disembarkation fail to be addressed by the congress, since 13% of access appliances to ships were irregular in the last IMPA research. The association’s elected vice-president, André Gaillard, secretary-general of the French Federation, revealed the statistics of accidents and incidents in the country over the past 20 years. Despite the low rate of accidents with sick leave, the FFPM was going to produce a training video for new pilots after an incident in 2021, following a recommendation by the French Agency of Investigation of Accidents at Sea.

The fall and death of a colleague in Lisbon in 2018 was the focus of the presentation by pilot Miguel Castro, president of the Bar and Port Pilots’ Association (Apibarra - Associação dos Pilotos de Barras e Portos) and senior vice-president of the European Pilots’ Association (EMPA). He made a memoir of the case, pointed out the lessons learned and the post-accident advances.

The IMPA congress in Mexico also covered other issues, such as the pros and cons of electronic navigation and training to deal with large container vessels, in addition to relations with stakeholders and regulatory agencies in the industry. foto:

The Brazilian Maritime Pilots’ Association studies lifejacket and helmet standardization

In addition to projects for the pilot’s safety, the Technical Directorate resumes updated APTR and plans return of the course for operators in Brasilia

The Technical Directorate of the Brazilian Maritime Pilots’ Association studies the development of a standard life-jacket, with resources for both survival in water and to mitigate traumas in event of the pilot’s falling on the motorboat or into the sea. According to pilot Marcio Fausto, director of the area, if the project progresses, the idea is to then develop an appropriate helmet for the activity.

In his opinion, no jacket available on the market is 100% suitable for the service, since the hypotheses of an accident when transferring the pilot to the ship are specific. The intention is to prepare a prototype in partnership with Senai Cimatec in Bahia, an innovation benchmark.

“Most jackets do not have solutions against impact, and some are not provided with resources for overboard survival and rescue. We have pilots who prefer rigid jackets to prevent trauma, but few of them have a pick-up strap. Others find it bothersome to wear larger jackets in warmer regions and choose self-inflating jackets. Our idea is to develop something customizable with maximum possibilities to minimize possible shocks when falling and to wait for rescue, perhaps a hybrid with a rigid part for impacts and another inflatable to keep heads above water”, explains Fausto.

According to the director, the plans also include a custom-made helmet for pilots, which is currently not on sale. Until this occurs, the technical area intends to recommend something available in another segment. Although it is not a mandatory item, the helmet protects from brain damage that could leave the victim unconscious, making the rescue difficult.

“The Brazilian Maritime Pilots’ Association should encourage the use of the helmet because you start relaxing in the day-to-day. In the meanwhile, we’ll keep insisting on the importance in training the motorboat crews and operators of the support stations (watch towers), since this is not simply pulling a man overboard from the sea but providing first aid and sending him to hospital if necessary. In São Francisco do Sul, we undertake integrated exercises, simulating even the ambulance call”, says Fausto, also recalling the pilot’s role to prevent the accident. “Because of our pilotage model, we are interested in always performing the maneuver, very often exploring the limit of personal risk. But we must embark in a situation where we can be rescued.”

The Brazilian Maritime Pilots’ Association is responsible for coordinating the Pilot Refresher Course (ATPR), delegated by the Brazilian Navy, and has resumed the program after lockdown during the pandemic, beginning the fourth cycle until 2026. Recycling is mandatory every five years, Brazil being the global benchmark on the topic.

“This return was a great victory. None of our classes were canceled. We are homologating the Pilotage Institute of Brazil and its maneuver simulator in Brasilia, to host the course (held on the premises of the Brazilian Navy and the Man of the Sea Foundation [Fundação Homem do Mar]). We would like to have an experimental class in the capital this year. The ATPR has been developing over time. We’ve had innovations in every cycle. When we began, the autonomous ships were only just starting, and today we already have considerable material about it. We have also enhanced the study of legislation with some modules. And we want to upgrade the remote part, with a more friendly teaching platform. I consider the course quite complete, all much more than what Resolution A.960 of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) recommends. Several hands made it with care, under the sharp eye of our technical manager, Raimundo Nascimento."

Capacity building on small-scale manned models of ships (optional of APTR) is also available again, with the possibility of training in Panama, thanks to an understanding with the Scale Vessel Handling Training Center (CMBE).

“There are some situations where we are unable to train on the computer simulator. It’s not by chance that Resolution A.960 suggests training on scale models, in order to complement that of the computer.”

The return of the course for watchtower operators, previously held in the Man-of-the Sea Foundation, is also planned to happen in Brasilia, with two classes per year. In some larger pilotage zones this type of capacity building is offered by the actual pilotage companies. Recently, watchtower operators and supervisors of Barra do Rio Grande Pilotage (Rio Grande do Sul) took part in a classroom and online refresher course. They had classes about nautical charts, Electronic Chart and Information Systems (ECDIS), radar, portable pilot units (PPUs – portable electronic navigation hardware) and technical English.

“No operation is good without recurring training with the proper tools”, stresses pilot Bernardo Ramos, operations director of Rio Grande Pilotage.

In Rio de Janeiro, pilot Marcelo Fricks resumed the training he was giving to operators before the pandemic. Twelve of them were reunited and had theoretical classes on nautical and electronic charts. Later, they accompanied two maneuvers on the pilotage simulator: one heavy tanker entering Southeast Port and a loaded container carrier entering the Varrido Channel in the Port of Rio de Janeiro. Fricks addressed the points where the operators can help pilots during the pilotage tasks, such as in observing the current boundaries in Sepetiba Bay and avoiding the ships crossing the bar at the mouth of Guanabara Bay bar. With the merger of Mangaratiba and Rio de Janeiro watchtowers, the intention is to provide capacity building up to three times a year.

“I had the idea of using the simulator for training purposes. They were inside the ship, seeing how the watchtower acts on the other side of the countertop. It was very gratifying. Everyone was enthusiastic, learned a lot and saw how important they are for our work.”