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.

See also

• · Pilotage associations.
• · SOLAS Chapter V (safety of navigation).
• · Safety: mooring station safety.

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