Sea pilots are advisors to ship captains. In difficult and busy waters, they contribute their extensive knowledge of the area and their experience.
The ships passing through the canal are so large that from the perspective of the ship’s bridge, no water can be seen. Therefore, especially in a narrow and heavily trafficked waterway such as the Kiel Canal (NOK) with frequent encounters and few opportunities to pass each other, proactive advice to the captain is urgently needed.
Entering and exiting the locks in Brunsbüttel and Kiel-Holtenau is also a difficult maneuver that requires competent advice.
With the exception of very small vessels in traffic group 1, all vessels in the NOK must have a pilot on board. The pilots, who are organized into two pilot associations on the NOK, have a total of 300 members.
Canal pilots
In addition, there is the profession of canal pilot on the NOK.
These pilots are particularly familiar with steering ships in the narrow fairway, the physical interactions between the ship and the shore, and the interactions between oncoming ships, interactions between ships and the shore, or between ships encountering each other.
The approximately 100 specially trained canal pilots are organized in the Canal Pilots Association (Verein der Kanalsteurer e.V.).
Image top right: Pilot boat in the NOK
Image top left: Recreational boat in the NOK
Image bottom: Ship traffic in the NOK