Pilot ladder — SOLAS V/23 + IMPA safety

Pilot ladders are the single most-common cause of pilot boarding fatality + serious injury. SOLAS Regulation V/23 + IMO Resolution A.1045(27) set the mandatory design, rigging + inspection standards; the IMPA (International Maritime Pilots' Association) publishes annual pilot fatality + incident data. Non-conforming pilot ladder rigging is one of the most-frequent Port State Control detention findings + one of the most-avoidable causes of preventable death at sea. Every Master + Chief Officer carries direct duty of care for compliant rigging.

Regulatory framework

SOLAS Regulation V/23 (mandatory). Pilot transfer arrangement requirements for ships engaged on voyages where pilots may be employed. Includes ladder specifications, rigging + retrieval + lighting requirements.
IMO Resolution A.1045(27) (2011). Detailed recommendations on pilot transfer arrangements — provides the technical detail underpinning SOLAS V/23.
MSC.1/Circ.1428 (2012) + subsequent. Guidance on the safety of pilot transfer arrangements — reinforced after multiple pilot fatalities.
ISO 799 (pilot ladders) + ISO 5489 (embarkation ladders). International design standards. Ladder must be constructed to ISO 799; embarkation ladder to ISO 5489.

Ladder specifications (essentials)

Steps. Hardwood or equivalent, minimum 400mm × 115mm × 25mm. Non-slip surface. Not painted (paint hides rot). Numbered from the bottom for defect tracking.
Spreader steps. Every 9th step must be a spreader step (at least 1.8m long) to prevent twisting.
Side ropes. Manila (or synthetic-equivalent with same manila characteristics) with no covering. Minimum 20mm diameter. Two on each side (four ropes total).
Ladder length. Sufficient to reach 1.5m above the pilot boat waterline. Combination ladder (pilot ladder + accommodation ladder) required when the freeboard exceeds 9m from waterline to the ship's pilot access point.

Rigging requirements

Position. Clear of ship's discharges. Deployed on the sheltered (lee) side per Master's + pilot's coordination.
Securing. Attached to strong points, not the guardrail. Strong points must be certified. Man ropes (26mm minimum, single-length) rigged parallel to the ladder + secured separately.
Lighting. Adequate lighting from top and bottom, illuminating the ladder + point of embarkation. LED spot at both ends. Working lamps + spare bulbs on the pilot ladder station.
Attendant. Responsible officer + a rating attend the pilot access point. Communication equipment + lifebuoy with self-igniting light + throwable line ready.
Combination ladder + trapdoor. Where combination ladder is used, trapdoor at the head of the accommodation ladder must NOT be arranged to open outward + away from the ship's side. IMO MSC.1/Circ.1428 explicitly bans the "offset trapdoor" configuration that has caused multiple fatalities.

Inspection + maintenance

Before every pilot transfer. Deck officer visually checks steps for cracks + rot + missing chocks + rope condition. Documented in the Deck Log.
Monthly / voyage. Chief Officer inspects for structural damage + wear. Damaged steps replaced as a set (not individually).
Annual / SEQ. Full inspection during the annual Safety Equipment survey. Class + flag surveyor inspects.
After incident. Any incident involving the pilot ladder — even a near-miss — triggers full inspection + reporting to the flag administration + often the pilotage service. IMPA maintains a global near-miss database.

IMPA + Nautical Institute pilot fatality campaign

Since 2010, IMPA + the Nautical Institute + individual pilots have documented pilot boarding fatalities globally. The overwhelming majority involve non-compliant pilot ladder rigging — an avoidable death every 4-8 weeks industry-wide. The 2020 campaign around the "Dear Master" letter series (from grieving pilot families to Masters worldwide) has driven substantially stricter PSC inspection + charterparty warranty. Common non-conformances documented: magnetic-attached step chocks (loose in seaway); ladder attached to guardrails not strong points; man ropes rigged as single lifting rope; ladder deployed against ship's discharge line pouring on the boarding pilot; inadequate or absent lighting; ladder step depth insufficient; trapdoor offset configuration.

Master + Chief Officer duty of care

Master. Overall responsibility. If asked to embark a pilot with a non-compliant arrangement, has authority + duty to refuse.
Chief Officer. Rigging supervision + inspection. Signs the Deck Log entry confirming compliance before pilot boarding.
Deck Officer + Ratings. Attend the boarding station. Continuously monitor pilot condition during boarding + disembarkation.
Documentation. Deck Log entry per pilot transfer. Photograph of rigging (increasingly required) + IMPA-form completion where the pilot signals non-conformance.