Crossing of 83 ships from both directions, with a total net tonnage of 4.7 million tons,by the giant container ship EVER GENIUS with a tonnage of 224 thousand tons

Admiral Osama Rabie, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, witnessed yesterday evening, Wednesday, the authority’s celebration on the occasion of the 66th anniversary of Marine Pilots Day, at the ( March 29 Oasis Club ) in Ismailia, in the presence of a number of board members and a group of senior advisors of the authority.

The Suez Canal is keen to celebrate the anniversary of the Pilot Day on the night of September 14, the day that witnessed the victory of the Egyptian will over the foreign conspiracy with the withdrawal of foreign guides that aimed to undermine the homeland after the decision to nationalize the Suez Canal in 1956.

During the ceremony, the team honored 14 pilots of competencies and those with a distinguished bidding march in the service of the navigation movement in the Suez Canal.

The meeting began with the screening of a number of documentary films about the Suez Canal, followed by a speech by Captain Mohamed Zakaria Hussein, an excellent pilot, one of the oldest guides in the authority, who thanked Admiral Osama Rabie for the support he gives to the guides and his encouragement to them,

Stressing that the pilots were up to the responsibility In difficult situations, they managed to overcome the obstacles and challenges they faced.

On the other hand Admiral Osama Rabie, in his speech, thanked the pilots praising their great role and efforts to elevate Canal and raise its status, so that the Canal remains the shortest, fastest and safest in the world,

Especially in the difficult circumstances that the Suez Canal experienced, such as the emerging crisis of the Corona virus, as well as the heroic glimpse presented by the pilots after the floatation of the giant container ship EVER GIVEN, where the Authority’s guides succeeded in managing and guiding 422 ships within only 4 days, at a rate that exceeded 100 ships per day

It is noteworthy that the navigation movement witnessed today the crossing of 83 ships from both directions, with a total net tonnage of 4.7 million tons, as 39 ships with a tonnage of 2.1 million tons crossed from the north, led by the giant container ship EVER GENIUS with a tonnage of 224 thousand tons, and from the south 44 ships with a tonnage of 2.6 million tons crossed. At their head is the giant container ship OOCL GERMANY with a tonnage of 220 thousand tons

The pilot has the onerous task of navigating the ship into the local port as they have overall expertise on specific local conditions existing in the port area. The local pilots are aware of channel depths, any dredging operations done, navigational hazards like underwater cables, and other obstacles. In general, they provide local knowledge and experience to the Captain of the ship to ensure that navigational safety and the environment are not compromised.

Ships move in and out of port at all odd hours and therefore pilots around the world work irregular and different timelines which messes with their circadian rhythm, akin to someone feeling jet lag..

Pilots also have to be reasonably fit as their work involves many physical tasks such as boarding moving ships.. A small high-powered launch commonly known as Pilot Launch will transport the Pilot from the Port Control Tower or Pilot Station to the ship which could be several nautical miles away.. The pilot then has to be able to climb a high ladder (usually a rope ladder) onto the moving ship to access the deck which is several meters high depending on the size of the ship..