12/04/2019 01:39 PM
Newcastle hosts marine pilots from across Australasia
Marine pilots from across Australia and as far afield as New Zealand and Papua New Guinea got together in Newcastle this week for the Australasian Marine Pilots Institute (AMPI) biannual event.
AMPI is a not-for-profit, professional organisation that sets the standards for the marine pilot profession in Australasia. AMPI aims to improve operational safety in Australasia’s ports and develops a set of training standards to ensure that Australasian marine pilots are among the best in the world.
Held twice a year, this is the first time AMPI’s three-day event has come to Newcastle. As the 2019 event’s major sponsor, Port Authority’s Newcastle COO, Emma Fensom, welcomed dozens of marine pilots, port managers, harbour masters, government regulators and industry specialists to the harbour city.
With a strong focus on safety, key topics at the event included escort towage, mental health and first aid, the role of technology and big data, and helicopter transfers — the main way Port Authority’s marine pilots transfer to commercial vessels in Newcastle.
Each year, Port Authority’s marine pilots perform thousands of transfers to commercial vessels like cargo ships, cruise ships and tankers to help them navigate safely into port.
Also at the event, Cliff Beazley, former Newcastle pilot and owner of Port Ash Ship Handling Training Centre received a fellowship for both AMPI and the Nautical Institute, presented by AMPI president and Sydney marine pilot, Neil Farmer.
Find out more about AMPI
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