The "eyes" of the super-ships

Pressure increases when navigating a super-sized vessel.

At noon, the lunch break of top-class pilot Nguyen Viet Dung (Maritime Pilotage Company Limited, Region II) was constantly interrupted by calls about plans to bring ships into Hai Phong seaport. After quickly eating his lunch, he hurried back to the office.

Pilot Nguyen Viet Dung and his colleagues are implementing a plan and assessing safety conditions to guide ships into the port.

Having worked in the profession for 22 years, hurried meals like these are commonplace for him. He shared that pilots are among the most responsible individuals in ensuring the safety of ships. Therefore, while piloting small vessels is stressful, piloting super-large ships increases that pressure exponentially.

Having previously served as the chief pilot for the Wanhai A07 – the largest ship ever to dock at Hai Phong port in 2022 – Mr. Dung admitted that piloting this vessel was no easy task. The ship is 335 meters long, 51 meters wide, and has a carrying capacity of 13,458 TEU. Because of its large size, the ship has low inertia, and controlling its speed, approach angle, and approach velocity requires an experienced pilot.

"Before being chosen to lead the ship, I underwent training courses abroad. But since it was the largest ship ever to enter the port, that day was incredibly stressful. Stepping onto the ship, all my senses had to be on high alert," he recounted.

According to Mr. Dung, the first time he piloted a large ship, it took him more than two hours to maneuver it. While piloting, he had to calculate to ensure the highest safety factor. Now that he is more experienced, the time it takes to maneuver the ship has been shortened.

Small mistakes, big consequences.

As one of the three top-tier pilots tasked with guiding super-sized ships over 350 meters in length, Nguyen Huu Tinh (45 years old, Maritime Pilotage Company Region II) shared: "Being the 'eyes' for these ships has never been easy."

Exceptional pilot Le Ngoc Duong is guiding a ship into Cai Mep - Thi Vai port.

According to this pilot with 20 years of experience, the job of a pilot allows no room for error, requires maximum concentration, and absolutely no room for complacency. Because even a single second of inattention can lead to an accident with unimaginable consequences.

"The Hai Phong shipping channel is quite complex, long, narrow, and full of bends. The area is densely populated with ships, including many small vessels. Large and long ships can easily run aground on the channel's edge if they deviate from the channel," Tinh said, adding that high waves and strong winds also pose a challenge for pilots because ships are easily swept away.

He recalled an incident where, while guiding a ship with a deadweight of about 50,000 DWT into the Nam Dinh Vu area, a sudden storm arose as the ship was docking, and the mooring ropes broke. Remaining calm, he used the bow propeller and two tugboats to assist in securing the ship, docking it parallel to the pier at a distance of 20 meters before docking again.

Holding their breath while waiting for the ship to enter the port.

At approximately 10:00 AM on a July morning in 2023, the Maran Gas Achilles, carrying the first 70,000 tons of LNG worth approximately 830 billion VND to arrive in Vietnam, docked at Cai Mep port in Ba Ria - Vung Tau province. To ensure the highest level of safety, two highly experienced and top-tier pilots, Pham Trung Tin and Le Ngoc Duong (Vung Tau Maritime Services and Transportation Joint Stock Company), were selected.

Even though the job can be stressful enough to make your hair turn gray, contributing to the safe passage of ships in and out of the port is a joy that not everyone gets to experience.

Pilot Nguyen Huu Tinh

Despite having extensive experience piloting "supercarriers" with a deadweight tonnage of over 214,000 DWT, pilot Le Ngoc Duong was understandably nervous about his first time piloting an LNG vessel. For six months leading up to the ship's official port entry, he worked repeatedly with numerous survey teams from the shipowner and cargo owners abroad.

They came to survey the waterways, port capacity, and pilotage capabilities, and introduced many strict procedures. He and his team had to participate in simulations with 24 ship navigation scenarios under pressure: Absolutely no mistakes were allowed in any scenario. Only when all safety requirements were met could the cargo owner and ship owner bring the ship in.

Vietnam had never received this type of ship before, so he and his colleagues had to be much more cautious than when guiding container ships. Because if an incident occurred, the entire Phu My area could suffer very serious damage. The two of them divided the work: one guided the ship through the channel, and the other was in charge when the ship docked and left the pier. Authorities mobilized up to four tugboats to escort the ship.

"At that moment, all attention was focused on the ship and the pilot. There were drones overhead, and on the ground, many leaders and officials were 'holding their breath' waiting for the ship to enter the port. In addition, the authorities were closely monitoring the situation, which put immense pressure on me," Duong recounted, adding that this pressure forced him to strive for the utmost professionalism and precision.

The ship successfully docked, providing the pilots with valuable experience in their profession.

Pilot Duong proudly boasts that he has guided about four LNG voyages so far. As for the "super" container ships, he can't remember how many times he's been the "eyes" of the vessel.

In fact, while the port of Hai Phong sees large container ships of up to 145,000 DWT entering and leaving the Lach Huyen port, in the South, the Cai Mep - Thi Vai port (Ba Ria - Vung Tau) has also frequently welcomed ships with a tonnage of over 200,000 DWT.

Navigating ships dubbed "monsters of the sea," towering like small islands on the water, in and out of ports is not only a great responsibility for pilots, but also an opportunity for them to hone their professional skills.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/doi-mat-cua-cac-sieu-tau-192240624085546369.htm