piloting

Despite the sophisticated technical means used by modern ships, as well as the accurate charts, the manoeuvres to dock or to leave port are always risky.

In order to ensure the safety of port navigation, the State has imposed the presence of a guide aboard most ships : The PILOT.

PILOTING : it is the assistance given to the Captains by a staff commissionned by the State to pilot the ships entering or leaving port, in ports, harbours and maritime waters of rivers and canals. The piloting service in ports is a public service which exercises on the state property.

Port piloting is compulsory and safety is its main motivation, but the effectiveness of the public service and the State property justifies even more this obligation.

The piloting station of Caen

In 1935, the piloting station had 12 pilots. In 1949, there were 6 pilots after the death of 5 pilots during the war (an english plane machine-gunned the pilot boat "Côte de Nacre 1" and 4 pilots were killed; another one was killed during the landing), and one resigned.

With 10 pilots in 1962, the number of pilots was reduced to 5 pilots in 1974.

In 1990, the 5 remaining pilots decided to merge with the piloting station of Caen to create the piloting station of the SEINE. At the moment, 6 pilots of the Seine, certified CAEN, deal with the 600 annual piloting operations, with only one pilot in the station.

In the eighties, the number of annual piloting operations was about 1800...

Most pilots like their job because it is lively. Each piloting, each manoeuvre is a new problem with different means to solve it;

The skill of the pilot is to quickly adapt himself to the specific conditions of the moment, to have quick and safe reflexes in any circumstances and to assess without any mistake the numerous variable elements which occur during the ships' manoeuvre.