Originally Posted by
RogAir
"In all four ports, a good thirty minutes before we would anchor, whether at a pier or in the open ocean, a small boat would come out and deliver a local pilot to I assume steer the ship into waters he was familiar with. We would always be well out in the ocean when this happened."
I believe they are called harbor pilots. In San Francisco they make $500,000+/year salary--which I will venture to guess--is because they have a strong union. If anyone wants to argue that they have more responsibility than a 747 captain (or A320 captain for that matter) I would be interested to hear the argument. These guys know what their skills are worth, and what they contribute to the bottom line--when will pilots learn??
They get paid a lot primarily because they take on a tremendous risk and liaibility, and in some locations (ex Columbia River) they must be very experienced Any Ocean/Any Tonnage masters...ie former VLCC captains. Also since intimate knowledge of the waterway in question is a requirement, there is a limited pool of applicants at any given local.
The risk is personal...getting on and off the ship involves at-sea personnel transfer either from a small boat or a helo to a large ship, often in rough conditions. This is the approximate risk-equivalent of a grey-haired 747 captain having to base-jump to get to work before before each leg. Guys get killed doing it and I have a friend who recently lost one of his partners this way.
But some of them have unions too...can't hurt.