Courtesy of J. Blythe
MANCHESTER PILOTS
Manchester Pilots are a co-operative of self employed professionals who provide pilotage services throughout the Manchester Harbour Area. Currently, there are 18 pilots who typically undertake around 4000 acts of pilotage each year. On larger vessels, two pilots attend, one of whom will act as helmsman.
The pilot station is at Eastham Locks on the Wirral peninsula where vessels enter the Manchester Ship Canal from the River Mersey. Pilotage is conducted on all vessels over 50m LOA up to a maximum size of 171m LOA x 23m beam x 8.8m draught. The traffic is a mix of product, chemical and gas tankers, dry cargo and heavy lift vessels, container vessels and also the Mersey ferries during their summer cruises up the Canal.
