There’s MMP masters with very little ship handling ability. I mean for maersk containerships on a Northern Europe run the contract requires North Sea pilots to be employed. The Masters just have to get it across the open ocean.
I feel like comparing the skillsets of CTI guys to union deep sea guys is pretty Apples to Oranges. I think we’re all good at what we’ve been exposed to. Containership guys usually aren’t great small boat handlers (why would they be?) but have other skills. I’m sure CTI guys would feel some stress lancing through Dover Strait traffic at 20 kts in the rain and fog while sitting on a big ol’ slow speed diesel.
Also – the stress definitely doesn’t stop if you pull into Brixham and grab a pilot. I’ve never sailed with Maersk (and am thus not triggered) but I’ve done this route a fair bit and those pilots are a mixed bag – it’s definitely not a free lunch for the Mate on watch or the Master sleeping below. The majority of the trips I did through there were without a North Sea pilot and I was always more stressed when we had one onboard. I’ve had to call the old man multiple times because of some weird sketchy channel pilot calls and they will happily come up and do what they get paid the big $$$ to do in that area, navigate in dense traffic and crappy viz, keep things on time and safe, and be responsible for it all.
Just my thoughts!