2015

Maart

How do they do it??

The Biscayne Bay Pilots

Een serie over en door collegaloodsen over de hele wereld.

By Captain Andrew D. Melick

Miami is best known for recreational boating, tropical sunshine, ocean beaches, and vibrant nightlife. ....
It has never been known for its natural harbor.
Miami developedand continues to developon the shores of Biscayne Bay, where the water is only a
few feet deep, and where the bottom is a thick layer of lime rock. Yet, the largest cruise ship facility in the
world and the tenth largest containership facility in the United States lie at the very heart of the urban
oasis that Miami is today.
The Biscayne Bay Pilots are the sole providers of pilot service to ships that transit Miami Harbor, and our
shiphandling techniques have developed over more than a century of navigational experience in this
unique environment.
Miami Harbor is approached from the
deep water of the Atlantic Ocean via a
dredged channel--carved out of the solid
rock bottom--two-and-a-half miles long
by 500 feet wide by 52 feet deep.
The approach channel runs generally eastwest and consists of two reaches, equal in
length, which join at a 45 degree angle.
At the shoreline, the approach channel
cuts through a barrier peninsula
(Miami Beach) and then immediately
bifurcates.
The two dredged channels inside the harbor border the north and south sides of an artificial island in
Biscayne Bay. This island comprises PortMiami. Several smaller port facilities lie on the periphery of the
harbor: Miami Beach Marina, for mega-yachts; Fisher Island, for tank vessels; Terminal Island, for small
freighters; Bicentennial Park, for ceremonial vessels; and the Miami River, also for small freighters.
Vessels proceed to all of these facilities under compulsory state pilotage.
Captain Andrew D. Melick served as both deck and engine officer on U.S. merchant ships (container, tanker, bulk
carrier) from 1980 until 1996, primarily in the U.S.-Europe and U.S.-Central/South America trades. He holds an
unlimited master's license.
In 1996 Captain Melick qualified for a Florida state pilot's license for Miami Harbor. He has served as chairman of
the Biscayne Bay Pilots Association since 2013.

2015

Maart

How do they do it??

The Biscayne Bay Pilots

Een serie over en door collegaloodsen over de hele wereld.

The south side of the port accommodates containerships and ro-ro's. The south (or Fisherman's)
channel is 50 feet deep. Fisherman's Channel includes a 25 degree turn at its midpoint, where there is a
1500 foot diameter turning basin (Lummus Island Turning Basin). The south channel dead-ends in
another turning basin, 1000 feet in diameter. The approach to the Miami River extends westward from
this smaller turning basin. The north side of the port primarily accommodates cruise vessels. The north
side also includes a ro-ro berth and two small lay berths. The north (or Main) channel is 36 feet deep
and dead-ends in a 1600 foot diameter turning basin (the Downtown Turning Basin).
In order to allow time to position an arriving vessel and
establish the necessary speed of approach, most ships are
boarded at least two miles seaward of the entrance channel.
Boarding is made via one of our three aluminum hull,
twin-screw, 50-feet-long pilot boats.
Ships are directed to maneuver to make the best possible
lee via VHF radio transmission from the pilot boat.
In heavy weather, sea and swell in the boarding area can
exceed ten feet, especially with wind from the north or east.
Careful and expert maneuvering by the pilot boat operator,
and agile and well-timed movements by the pilot, are essential
for a safe transfer.
The first challenge a pilot faces on a vessel's approach to the
entrance channel is the cross-current of the Gulf Stream.
This current can reach 4 knots in strength. Ships must
maintain maximum speed to minimize crab angle, but even
with 12 knots or more headway, the course made good can
differ from the ship's heading by more than 15 degrees.

Pilot on the ladder

On ships of 1000+ feet in length, the effective beam of the ship is thus greater than 300 feet. Obviously,
maintaining the center of the channel is essential to avoid touching its unforgiving limestone walls.
Although the problem is somewhat alleviated by the 800 foot wide flare at the seaward-most part of
the channel, the difficulty is compounded by the fact that the point at which the current diminishes is
constantly changing and never exactly known. The current usually drops off dramatically, which means
the bow of the ship will lose the current effect before the stern of the ship, creating a powerful turning
moment which can only be overcome by rudder force. This transition frequently occurs after the point
at which the bottom begins to shoal. The timing of rudder orders at this juncture is critical.

2015

Maart

How do they do it??

The Biscayne Bay Pilots

Een serie over en door collegaloodsen over de hele wereld.

Once the ship is safely inbound in the approach channel, the pilot's next challenge is to reduce the ship's
speed as quickly as possible. In only two miles, the ship must either come to a complete stop to turn
around, or pass moored vessels at close range where hydraulic interaction must be minimized.
Before either of these situations are encountered, however, the pilot must first navigate the ship through
the jetty entrance (Government Cut). This can be a difficult process with a flood current, because the
jetties are unequal in length. The north jetty extends farther seaward, which means an incoming tide
pours in from the north side before the south side. Thus an inbound ship is subjected to a cross-flowing
current on the starboard side initially, which sets the ship laterally to port. This effect is compounded
when the wind is out of the north quadrant. In anticipation of this effect, the pilot must position the ship
on the starboard side of the channel as it approaches the jetties. After this initial set to port, however,
the ship's bow begins to feel a north-flowing current on the port side. Until the ship is entirely inside the
jetties, it experiences two powerful turning forces, one pushing the bow to starboard, the other pushing
the stern to port. It is often necessary to apply maximum rudder and increase engine speed to offset the
turning effect of these opposite forces.
Once the ship is steadied up in Government Cut, the pilot's next challenge is to slow the ship down to a
safe speed, no simple matter with a following current that can exceed 3 knots. On large, deep draft
containerships, this generally requires tug assistance, usually the pulling force of a tug with a hawser up
on the stern of the ship.
With an ebb current, maneuvering into and through
Government Cut is a simpler matter. For this reason, the
largest container vessels, as well as tankers and certain
vessels under tow, are restricted to entering on the ebb.
Ships that will dock port side alongside at the container
dock have two location options for swinging. The eastern
location is Fisher Island Turning Basin, which, like Lummus
Island Turning Basin, is 1500 feet in diameter, and which is
where the entrance channel bifurcates into the Main
Channel and Fisherman's Channel. The western location is
Lummus Island Turning Basin. Tidal current is stronger in
Fisher Island Turning Basin, often exceeding 2.5 knots.
Swinging a large, deep draft ship in Fisher Island Turning
Basin requires initiating the swing such that the anticipated
set due to the tidal current will not push the ship outside
of its safe turning circle.
Containership backing down Fisherman's Channel
6

2015

Maart

How do they do it??

The Biscayne Bay Pilots

Een serie over en door collegaloodsen over de hele wereld.

We frequently swing ships, some of which are over 1000 feet long, in Fisher Island Turning Basin with
less than 100 feet clearance on one end or the other.
Because of the location of the center of this turning basin relative to the axis of its confluent channels,
we almost always swing inbound ships bow to starboard, while we swing ships outbound from
Fisherman's Channel bow to port.
Tug assistance is provided by various combinations of one large
and two small tractor tugs, and two or three smaller
conventional twin-screw tugs. We communicate with the tugs
via private UFH radio channel.
Containerships that swing in Fisher Island Turning Basin
must by necessity proceed backwards in Fisherman's Channel.
This process is greatly facilitated by a strong bow thruster, but
directional stability is nonetheless often marginal, and ships
can easily dive to one side or the other. This can create a
precarious situation when ships already alongside reduce the
available width of the channel to 400 feet or less.
Clear communication with and expert assistance from the
harbor
tugs is vital.
Swinging ships in Lummus Island Turning Basin requires a
longer transit, but this drawback is offset by the benefit of
reduced current, which makes for a safer turn. Using this
basin is also preferable when ship traffic in the Main Channel
Panamax containership swinging in
Fisher Island Turning Basin
or the entrance channel would otherwise be delayed by
swinging a ship in Fisher Island Turning Basin.
The small turning basin at the west end of the south side of the port is used to swing Miami River ships,
as well as small cruise ships that berth at the adjacent terminal. Smaller containerships and ro-ro's that
berth on the southwestern side of the port have the option of swinging in either this turning basin or the
Lummus Island Turning Basin.
Some of the aforementioned aspects of our operation apply mostly to cargo ships, but pilots in Miami
also handle many of the largest cruise ships in the world. We get about ten cruise ships per week in our
summer season, which runs May through October, and twice that number during the balance of the
year, which comprises our winter season. These ships pose their own special challenges, most notably
their susceptibility to drift in strong winds due to their massive sail area.

2015

Maart

How do they do it??

The Biscayne Bay Pilots

Een serie over en door collegaloodsen over de hele wereld.

The Main Channel narrows to 400 feet wide for its first seven cables west of Fisher Island Turning Basin.
When cruise ships transit this area with a beam wind, they sometimes have to crab more than 5
degrees, which can increase their effective (or track) beam to more than 200 feet. This obviously
necessitates the bow and stern passing less than 100 feet from the banks of the channel. Since the
bridge on these ships is much closer to the bow than the stern, the pilot must maintain precise awareness
of where the ship's stern is located, even though it is unseen and 800 or more feet behind the pilot. The
only way to reduce the crab angle is to increase speed, but with a cargo facility and a ferry dock
adjacent to this narrow part of the Main Channel, speeds greater than 6 knots are not a safe option.
Although most cruise ships nowadays are
equipped with powerful side thrusters
and/or azipod propulsion, these features
are of little use in this particular situation:
the side thrust they produce is
inconsequential at speeds greater than
five knots; and at speeds less than five
knots, the effect of a strong beam wind
becomes too great to offset.
The vast majority of cruise ships that berth
at Miami's Main Channel terminals
are too long to swing in the channel itself.

Cruise ships berthed in Main Channel, looking east

Therefore they must proceed to the Downtown Turning Basin either inbound or outbound. This turning
basin is somewhat protected from wind out of the south, west, and north quadrants by many tall
buildings and bridges, but tidal current can have a strong influence on the ship while it is in the basin.
Just as in Fisher Island Turning Basin, how far we enter the basin before initiating the swing depends on
the anticipated set from the current. The ebb current flows strongest from the north, so we usually swing
cruise ships bow to starboard on the ebb. We typically enter the basin with no more than five knots
headway and begin backing the engines soon thereafter. Initiating the swing with about 1.5 knots
headway usually results in the quickest and most efficient turn, as the ship will normally be dead in the
water halfway through the turn.
On the northwestern side of the port there is another passenger terminal and berth, where we currently
dock a 670 foot long ferry. The dock itself is only 700 feet long. Precise control of headway/sternway is
obviously critical as the ship approaches its final position. Maneuvering this vessel requires swinging in
the Downtown Turning Basin and backing the ship close alongside the berth. The maneuver is further
complicated by mooring dolphins which extend 80 feet from the west end of the cruise ship dock. The
presence of these dolphins reduces the area of safe water for the ship to back through to about 200 feet
wide.

2015

Maart

How do they do it??

The Biscayne Bay Pilots

Een serie over en door collegaloodsen over de hele wereld.

On a more general level, pilots are greatly assisted by two distinguishing features of Miami Harbor:
numerous landmarks (and hence numerous natural ranges), and usually good visibility. For these
reasons, we pilot almost entirely by eye. We do use PPU's and radar to corroborate our vision, but as any
pilot knows, a well-trained pilot's eye can determine the ship's location and detect the ship's motion and
momentum by observing the surroundings much more quickly than by looking at a video screen.
Also, although Miami is known for its mild, relatively fog-free weather, the norm comes with caveats.
Conditions can deteriorate rapidly in fast-moving thunderstorms. Pilots must constantly monitor the
weather in order to be prepared for heavy rainfall which can result in brief whiteouts of near zero
visibility and microbursts of wind in excess of 50 knots. Cold fronts in the winter season bring strong
winds from the north, and, of course, tropical cyclones and even hurricanes are a threat in late summer.
The giant condominium towers that border the harbor serve as windbreaks, but this advantage is by no
means all-encompassing.

Recreational boat traffic in Government Cut, looking east

In conclusion, although Miami Harbor may be compact, it serves a large number of commercial vessels.
We currently handle about 6000 ship transits per year, and expediting the flow of this traffic can only
occur if ships meet each other in the channels. At least half of our movements are concentrated in twoor three-hour windows during the early morning and early evening, when there can be six or even seven
ships moving at once. Therefore, in order to ensure the availability of a pilot for every ship that needs
one, we maintain a continuously rotating schedule of 12-hour shifts, with nine pilots in the rotation.
Since there are few unrestricted straightaways or widened areas in the channels, meeting in a safe
location requires careful planning and frequent bridge-to-bridge communication. The orchestration of
these high-traffic periods begins days in advance, and it follows protocols developed over many years of
experience.
Like pilots everywhere, we take great pride in working as a team to move the ships as efficiently as
possible, while at the same time adhering to every pilot's first priority, which is to preserve the safety of
the vessel, its passengers and crew, and the environment.