Information Bulletin
12 November 2004
Marine Officer / Pilot Posts
At a meeting of the Harbour Board held on Thursday 11th November, members expressed concern about comments being made regarding the number of Marine Officer / Pilot posts at Ports and Harbours Operations, Sullom Voe. They were of the view that the public were probably unaware of the overall scope of their duties.
24/7 cover the pilotage and VTS (Port Control) is provided by the three shift system of five officers, two of which cover the VTS requirement and three officers on the pilotage roster. Under the Port Marine Safety code the VTS must be run by fully trained and qualified staff and all our officers have the V103-1 certificate and log book for VTS duty. In addition they are also licensed Pilots for Sullom Voe. Due to the nature of operations where some of the largest ships in the world are handled in an area of difficult weather conditions, the pilotage area is under the surveillance of the licensed Pilot who can talk, peer to peer, with the Pilot on board the ship. These ships carry in excess of 300,000 tonnes of oil and berthing/ sailing operations can be prolonged.
Safety of operations is the first priority and these officers are at the core of the Safety Management System. The cost of running Sullom Voe is paid by the ship owners using the port. Over the two years Ports and Harbours Operations have reduced their revenue budget by £2 million and this process is ongoing.
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