Harbor Pilot and Shiphandling Expert Witness
When a ship under pilotage hits a pier or another vessel, the first question is usually who was really in charge. The pilot was conning the ship. The master was still in command. Sorting out what each owed the other takes someone who has stood in both positions.
Captain Stoller was an Exxon tanker master before he became a Los Angeles Harbor pilot. He has watched pilots board his ship, and he has boarded ships as the pilot.
Issues Captain Stoller evaluates
- The master and pilot information exchange
- Division of responsibility between master and pilot
- Docking and undocking with tug assist
- Speed, squat, and bank effect in channels
- Bar crossings and approaches in poor weather
- Pilot boarding and pilot ladder incidents
- Communication with tugs, line handlers, and vessel traffic service
- Pilot licensing, training, and oversight
Why his background fits
Most pilotage experts have been either a master or a pilot. He has been both, which lets him judge the case from both sides of the exchange.
Documents to gather
Pilot card, master and pilot exchange checklist, bridge audio and VHF recordings, AIS and VDR data, tug logs, port and pilot association rules, weather and tide data.
Common questions
Does the master lose responsibility when a pilot boards?
No. The master keeps command and must intervene if the pilot is putting the ship in danger. How and when he should have intervened is often the key question.
Are pilots held to a different standard?
Pilots are judged against what a competent pilot in that port would have done, which includes local knowledge.
Can he review a pilot boarding injury?
Yes. Those cases turn on the ladder rigging, the approach, and the communication between ship and pilot boat.