On board for one of the toughest jobs in Britain

Coxswain Roger Edmond piloting his launch towards Grimsby

It is one of the toughest jobs going: guiding gigantic cargo vessels into port on one of the most treacherous stretches of water in the world.

Every day, pilots speed out into the North Sea to board ships and help their captains navigate the tides and shifting sands of the Humber estuary.

Now, in a major upgrade, the pilots have new launches designed to weather the swell of the sea in the worst conditions as they climb on and off the freighters.

The state-of-the-art, fast "ORC" vessels are keeping workers safe this winter following a £10m investment by Associated British Ports (ABP).

Pilot Jim Warnes preparing to guide a vessel through the lock at Immingham

The Port of Immingham handles 46 million tonnes each year, making it Britain's largest by tonnage. The Humber Pilots pay an integral part in keeping everything moving as ships bring in essential products such as steel, oil, gas, food and timber.

Jim Warnes has piloted more than 3,000 ships into the Humber during a 17-year career.

"In the winter it's quite a challenge," he says, as he prepares to guide a container vessel, the Elbrunner, through the lock of Immingham dock and out into the estuary. "We'll have a tug boat with us to help us out into the river.

"The weather here can be quite poor in the wintertime," he adds. "The seas can be four to five metres.

"We get a lot of wind and when it's not windy we get a lot of fog, so it's always entertaining."

Tony Lewis oversees the work of the Humber Pilots

Pilots have been operating on the estuary for more than 500 years. Today, they work with crews and captains from all over the world as they guide vessels to more than 150 berths at 30 destinations across the Humber, Trent and Ouse, according to ABP.

As marine services manager, Tony Lewis oversees the operation from his base in Grimsby.

He says stepping on to a vessel in the middle of the North Sea "is a hazardous job", which has been made safer by the new equipment.

"The investment we've put in is because it is a safety-critical job. We're the front door for the Humber, so we need that infrastructure to keep our pilots, crew and vessels safe."

The shadow of the pilot launch as it moves away from the cargo ship Elbrunner after collecting Jim Warnes

Coxswain Roger Edmond takes the pilots out to board them on the cargo vessels.

"Conditions aren't great today," he says, as he steers down the Humber towards the Elbrunner – now safely out of port – and his colleague Mr Warnes. "Once they get the pilots on board, the captains of the ships feel safe – they're in safe hands."

One of the most hazardous moments is stepping across between launch and ship. The coxswain has to manoeuvre alongside and stay steady – no mean feat in rough conditions.

Mr Warnes, who has completed the task of piloting the Elbrunner in strong winds, is ready to transfer back to the launch, which involves climbing down a drop of about 5m (16ft).

One of the new pilot launches, which is providing greater safety and stability this winter

Safely back on board, Mr Warnes praises Mr Edmond's work.

"These are the most sophisticated boats in the world that we have here," he says. "Fantastic platforms that are stable in the sea for getting on and off a ship. Roger brought it alongside and we sat there like glue."

The pilots will soon be out again demonstrating their intensive training. Their work is keeping one of Britain's busiest port networks working to its full capacity this winter by helping ships, and their crews, to stay safe.

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