Harbor pilots are among the highest paid city employees and are critical to moving a cargo. Associated Press
Harbor pilots are among the highest paid city employees, but it’s a risky job.
The local pilots bring a ship from miles out at sea to within a few centimeters of the harbor pier.
In his book “Arriving Today,” Christopher Mims describes how packages arrive within a few days.
This is a machine translation of an article from our US colleagues at Business Insider. It was automatically translated and checked by a real editor.
Port pilots have one of the highest paying, but at the same time riskiest, jobs in the transportation industry. The average harbor pilot in the Port of Los Angeles earns $434,000 (approximately 400,600 euros) per year. However, there is a one in 20 chance of dying at work. That’s according to a book by Christopher Mims of the Wall Street Journal published in 2021. The book, Arriving Today: From Factory to Front Door – Why Everything Has Changed About How and What We Buy, breaks down the complicated dance, which brings a shipment from Asia to US buyers within a few days.
Harbor pilots are among the highest paid city employees and are a crucial part of a shipment’s journey. According to GlassDoor, the average port pilot in the United States earns between $154,000 and $285,000 (approximately $142,000 to $263,000) per year. Every cargo ship that wants to enter a port must pay local pilots to bring the ship to dock safely. This task is extremely risky. There is a possibility that as a pilot you will be run over by a freighter. They could also fall overboard in rough seas or become trapped between two boats. There are security precautions. Nevertheless, working as a harbor pilot can end in death, says Mims.
Additionally, this job has incredibly high stakes and requires highly specialized skills. The pilot is responsible for ships that weigh over 200,000 tons and can be worth over 100 million dollars (approximately 92 million euros). A harbor pilot brings a ship from miles out at sea to within a few centimeters of the unloading point at the pier. Mims describes how the L.A. port’s harbor pilot, Captain John Betz, initially approaches the massive, skyscraper-sized cargo ship from a 55-foot (16.7-meter) speedboat. This vessel is the Netherlands, a Chinese-owned vessel owned by Cosco Shipping Lines. From the speedboat, the pilot has to climb onto the freighter using a rope ladder. This often happens while both boats are leaning in opposite directions. This process is one of the most dangerous moments of the entire process. Craig Flinn, another harbor pilot, tells Mims: “The chances of survival are minimal when entering the water in heavy seas, even with a life jacket,” he says.
The pilot receives a sheet of paper on board the freighter, as Mims explains. On this sheet every small element of the ship and the obstacles on the way into port are recorded. Without touching a single control of the ship, Betz gives the crew verbal commands via his iPad for Holland’s every move. He uses a combination of GPS and navigation beacons as well as the ship’s automatic system and his own judgment. The pilot also instructs the crew operating the tugs. These tugs dock on both sides of the ship as it enters the port.
As soon as the ship is close enough, the freighter is maneuvered carefully using its remaining torque and the slow tug of the tug. Mims compares the process of maneuvering the giant ship into place on the pier to the process of a stunt driver parking a car parallel to a spot and draws parallels between them. The ship drives in at high speed, rolls over and, with smoking tires, hurls itself sideways to within a few centimeters of the curb. A harbor pilot’s job is finished when the ship is safely at its berth. Ultimately, port pilots are a little-known but important part of the supply chain. Around 90 percent of US goods arrive by ship.
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These harbor pilots earn around 400,000 euros a year and put their lives in danger every day