Bad Pilots ??

The U.S. Coast Guard says the pilot of the containership Ever Forward was distracted by his cell phone when the 1,095-foot ship grounded in the Chesapeake Bay back in March, becoming stuck for more than a month before it was eventually re-floated.

Reports of two Egyptians pilots arguing, one ordered increase of speed while bickering, when Ever Given strayed in the Suez Canal.

And; My personal belief that that Brunswick Pilot messed up and put the Golden Ray wrongly on the St. Simons Sound inlet delta bar, gives me reserved thoughts on ships channel/Bar pilots.

My wife wonders why I don't want to fly any more..

To many meatheads pushing tin in my opinion.

Any other ship pilots messed up recently?

Bank Suction??
Well,, that sux..

And full of Sheetrock.

Delivery captain & crew or the yachts full time crew?
Maybe not full time by now..

If you look way back behind the black hull ship, his wake trail was not that close to the shore. Then he got close to the shore.
Did he take a nap and woke up in a panic or was he fighting to stay off the bank then, then suddenly got free of the bank, just to veer over the channel.
From his bow wave, he may have been going to fast also.
Somebody(s) had a sudden career change this day.

The Maryland Board of Pilots has approved a rule to ban the use of personal cell phones by ship pilots in Maryland waters following the Ever Forward‘s grounding in Chesapeake Bay last March.

The Ever Forward grounded on March 13, 2022 outside the main shipping channel after failing to make a turn because the pilot was distracted by his cell phone, according to the Coast Guard’s investigation into the incident.

The 1,095-foot ship was eventually refloated after 45 days with the help of two anchored barges and multiple tugboats, and after dredging of more than 200,000 cubic yards of material from around the vessel and removal of over over 500 containers.

The U.S. Coast Guard issued its investigation report into the grounding in December, finding that the pilot made a series of five phone calls amounting to over 60 minutes during the course of the vessel’s outbound transit after departing the Seagirt Marine Terminal in Baltimore, Maryland with 4,964 containers aboard. The pilot also sent two text messages and began drafting an email immediately before the grounding occurred, the investigation revealed.

“The job of a state-licensed pilot requires absolute attention and focus on the job of safety piloting, navigating maneuvering, anchoring docking or undocking a vessel in pilotage waters,” said Sandy Steeves, chairman of the Maryland Board of Pilots.

Maryland Department of Labor Secretary Tiffany Robinson wrote to the Maryland Board of Pilots in late December urging that they address the issue of cell phone use by pilots during a January 6 meeting “in absence of any federal maritime policy that expressly prohibits” cell phone use by licensed ship pilots.

Maryland state law prohibits drivers on the road from using a cell phone without a hands free device and text messaging while a vehicle is in motion.

The Maryland Board of Pilots suspended the license of the pilot on October 20, 2022, by unanimous vote. The pilot, Captain Steven Germac, has not piloted a ship since the incident.

This latest action by the state of Maryland comes after the state last week announced an agreement with Ever Forward’s owner, Taiwanese container shipping company Evergreen Marine Corporation, to provide funding to help restore oyster beds in the Chesapeake Bay from impacts from the grounding and salvage operation.


I'm thinking Ex-Captain Steve Germac should out in the bay re-placing the oyster beds him-self.
What other Damages could/should Germac be responsible for?

This brings up a next real question;
Are the pilots responsible for anything?
The Pilots assassination?

IMO The red ship recoiled hard astern that gives me thought he was reversing already.
I would enjoy the radio traffic during this..

Investigation?
Everybody (but the public) knew what happened that night.
Took 7 months for the Pilots assassination to suspend his area pilots license.
Took only 10 Months for the USCG to confirm that the pilot hosed up.
He'll be running OUPV in a few months.

I ask again;
Are the Pilots responsible for anything?
The Pilots assassination?