Harbor pilots serve the State of South Carolina to prevent marine incidents that would result in harm to the environment, the public, and mariners; and to maintain a smooth and efficient flow of maritime commerce. Further, The Charleston Navigation Company, owned by the Pilots, provides technical and administrative services such as boat operations and radio […]
Read more As a full service pilot organization, Charleston Branch Pilots provide pilotage services to vessels engaged in domestic and foreign trade. All members are both state and federally licensed for unlimited tonnage throughout the Port of Charleston. State law requires a pilot on all foreign registered vessels, and U.S.-registered vessels engaged in international trade and with […]
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Located at the mouth of the harbor, the pilot office is fully equipped for around-the-clock vessel operations. State law requires at least three hours notice but 12-24 hours notice is typical. A dispatcher is available 24 hours a day to receive orders and arrange pilotage for vessels arriving and leaving the port. Outfitted with a […]
Read moreThis time lapse was filmed at sunset aboard the Charleston pilot boat Ft. Sumter in December 2013. It compresses an hour and 50 minutes of still photos shot during a trip offshore to retrieve two pilots disembarking ships near boarding station Bravo. Thanks to boat operator David Ernst for the great footage!
A Charleston pilot guides the MSC TOKYO underneath the Arthur Ravenel Bridge. This post-Panamax vessel is 902 feet long with a beam (width) of 131 feet.
Caption: A Mediterranean Shipping Company vessel emerges from a fog bank offshore of Sullivan’s Island.
From the American Journal of Transportation, Sept. 9-22, 2013
Industry profile
By Paul Scott Abbott
For Capt. Whit S. Smith III, Charleston Harbor has been the favored “playground” since growing up sailing boats on its waters in the 1950s, and, with his 70th birthday approaching in February, he has no plans to stop having fun in his roles as president of the Charleston Branch Pilots’ Association and as a board member of the South Carolina State Ports Authority.
In an exclusive interview …
This video from the SC State Ports Authority offers a glimpse of what really happens when ships are in port. Check out the Pilot boarding the MSC Charleston, Captain Dan Waldeck.
