Do It Right The First Time. Every day around the world, maritime pilots board and disembark ships using pilot ladder arrangements. When the pilot ladder is not used properly, a routine procedure can turn into a critical hazard.
Maritime Safety: Pilot ladder - Do it right the First Time | MaritimeCyprus
I don’t see the problem…….
U seem to get used to chronic pain. This piece of equipment is fairly simple I think and the topic has been around as long as I have been at sea. I simply can not understand why this can not be done right . It is beyond me. The number of various guides , procedures , industry standards, P& I Clubs advises is so huge including those ( copy/pasted) in SMS that it should rather be an issue of the past .But stil the topic is coming back like a boomerang . Betas me.
Another thing :
The authors suggestion it is a matter of " use" I find ridiculous as it is rather a mater of maintenance, supervision , proper setting/rigging and sticking to fairly simple procedure. But I may be wrong of course.
Here is some AI blah blah on pain tolerance 
The concept of “getting used to pain” can be described by several terms, depending on the specific context. Here are a few possibilities:
It’s important to note that “getting used to pain” is not necessarily a medical condition in itself, but rather a phenomenon that can occur in various contexts. For example, a person might develop a higher pain tolerance due to repeated exposure to pain, or they might experience adaptation to chronic pain.
In the mid-70s I was in a freighter that had an air-driven pilot ladder contraption which would lift the pilot to deck level. The first time we used it, to lift a Cannakale pilot, the wire at the fore end jumped the sheave, and we almost lost him. He bravely hung on and was brought aboard, a bit shaken. That was the end of that bad idea.
Unfortunately, all the legislation in the world doesn’t alter the fact that the ladder is still rigged by deck apes, possibly supervised by a newly ticketed deck officer who can barely tie their shoe laces.
Had same but I think it was electrical. Asked the crew why it was not used and heard some horror stories, hence continued with good old pilot , muscle driven ladder.
The simple answer is the people rigging the ladder do not have to use it. When your a$$ is climbing on a cold night with sleet greasing everything and you come alongside to see your climb to work glistening like a cast iron skillet ready for onions, you start to form a picture of how the job is going to proceed.
10yrs as a pilot and almost every time the ladder was rigged half-assed or in poor condition, the job sucked. Perhaps it is human nature…you REALLY pay attention when the work you do can come back to hurt you.
Spo,
The other issue that concerned me during transfers was combination ladders. The fact that the very heavy gangway section was only supported by wire falls of unknown health and heritage without the redundancy of a preventer chain was of great concern. I mentioned this to some people in IMPA who agreed but am still waiting for an outcome.
Stevedores in my port refused to board the floating gangway, serviced by a shore brow, until a preventer chain was fitted.
That’s a good point, but I’m curious as to why the g’way wasn’t landed.
Good question.
Panamax and Cape class bulkers used the aft gangway. The concrete wharf deck was 8 metres inward from the fender line and access was provided by telescopic platforms. Unfortunately, the platforms could not plumb the gangway and the gap was made up by a shore brow connected to the bottom gangway platform.
During my 22 year Pilotage tenure I witnessed 3 incidents of failed gangway falls. Not a pretty sight.
SOLAS banned their usage on all ships in July 2012. They were bad news and very problematic.
That’s exactly what I imagined after reading your description. Funny thing, I had to do exactly that at London Gateway terminal when my AB let the g’way go untended. The 4X8 AB was on deck, too, by that time, so I enlisted the help of a couple of friendly l’shoremen to help me haul the g’way back over the landing while 4X8 manned the falls. Then, when I shouted up to him “Slack!”, he f’cking hoists. Ended up doing as you illustrated until I got better help.
Helpful lot The TO’ s at Gateway aren’t they 
TO Terminal Operator.
Or anywhere else a Stevedore
Back on topic.
It has always amazed me how such a simple task such as rigging a Pilot Ladder is cocked up so many times by so many people.
I think the problem with the American Hapag (Express) boats were that they were really too small for LGW.
IIRC 235 m and LGW was the last European call before crossing the Atlantic, so they were deep for them 11m or so .
This was fine for Thamesport (Ironically on the River Medway) or NHCT or Tilbury as it was commonly known but LGW (London Gateway) was built with 400m 14m draft ships in mind so we all struggled with the smaller ships.
I retired not long after you took over the UASC ships am I never did one under the US Flag although I did them many times under a previous flag.
At 305m never had the same problems as the Express ships.
The gangway was a particular problem as I recall.
I’m remembering times in rough seas, crabbing in toward C. Disappointment before the days of combination pilot ladder rigs, with the pilots leaping heroically onto the ladder while the pilot boat drops like a rock into a trough.
AUS - Good morning.
Here is my input on your horrible carnage scenario.
I am sceptical and here is why :
Accomodation ladder
Ship gangways, used for safe embarkation and disembarkation, must be properly secured, maintained, and operated according to specific guidelines.
The safe working load should be clearly marked, and the gangway should only be rigged by authorized personnel.
SOLAS Regulations:
Gangways and accommodation ladders are subject to SOLAS regulations, including requirements for testing and examination.
LEGISLATION: Accommodation ladders and gangways fitted on ships constructed before or replaced after 1 January 2010, should, to the extent possible, adhere with the IMO circular MSC.1/Circ.1331 – IMO “Guidelines for Construction, Installation, Maintenance and Inspection of means of Embarkation and Disembarkation¹”. This circular should be referred to in conjunction with the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regulation II-1/3-9 (Means of Embarkation on and Disembarkation from Ships).
Design and Construction: Gangways must meet design standards, including those specified in ISO-7061 or equivalent, and have adequate fencing. They should also be electrically insulated to prevent electrical continuity between the ship and shore.
Angle of Inclination: The angle of inclination should not exceed the designed limits (generally 30° from horizontal), unless designed for greater angles.
Safe Working Load: The gangway’s safe working load must be clearly marked, and the maximum capacity should never be exceeded.
Maintenance: Gangways require regular inspection and maintenance, including checks for wear, damage, and proper functioning of safety systems.
Training and Authorization: Only authorized personnel, trained in gangway operations, should rig and operate the gangway.
Safety Nets: In some cases, safety nets are required underneath the gangway.
Risk Assessment: A risk assessment should be completed before rigging the gangway.
There is also ship’s register of all lifting devices and wires on board frequently checked by - you name it -everyeffingbody . And all entries there must be accurate , ship shape and reflecting the current condition . I would skip SMS instructions ,procedures and all the blah blah blah .
Also for as long as I have been using computerised PMS ( planned maintenace system ) (28 years) , the works on the gangway system have been featured there prominently .
So this thing is really important and as Master per SMS instructions i had to sign all sorts of gangway use permits & R.A.s . Well i must confess i always signed it inblanco .
Now let me address your worries and your nightmarish vision of carnage from the point of elementary phisics.
For this purpose I made an awkward drawing in paintbrush having no better graphics application . But i think it will do , showing that your terrible scenario is highly unlikely . But may be some viewer here will come with some rebuttal then i would be only happy to read it .
Cheers
