Last 26th of February, European Maritime Pilots' Association (EMPA) represented by its President Miguel Vieira de Castro had the pleasure of attending the inauguration of the new Híades Business Patterns / AMURA office — a milestone that represents vision, character, and years of dedicated work.
Today, 27 February 2026, European Maritime Pilots' Association (EMPA) attended the NELSON information session organised by AMURA in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, focused on innovative solutions for maritime services.
The workshop explored Pilot, VTS planning tools, eMPX, ship planning tools, and digital information exchange between pilots, VTS operators.
Thank you to the organisers and participants for a practical, solutions‑oriented discussion. EMPA will continue following these initiatives.
We are pleased to thank our sponsors for their valuable support of the 60th EMPA General Meeting.
With deep sorrow, EMPA mourns the tragic loss of Captain Phillip Brady, who passed away on Monday 12 January following a serious accident during pilot transfer operations off Panama City, Florida. Despite rescue efforts, he sadly did not survive.
EMPA welcomes the announcement that Danish Maritime Pilots and Danske Lodser have agreed to merge into a single, unified organisation: Lodsforeningen Danmark (Danish Maritime Pilots Association). This landmark agreement will bring all Danish maritime pilots under one collective framework and supports a stronger, more unified voice for the profession.
In a changing maritime environment, staying united and cohesive is essential to protect professionalism, and the future of pilotage services.
A celebration of a historic milestone for the Portuguese pilotage service!!!
On November 19, 2025, APIBARRA celebrated three decades of history with the 8th Conference, held at the Infante D. Henrique Auditorium, Port of Leixões (APDL). Under the theme “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, What Future?”
The European Maritime Pilots’ Association (EMPA) participated in the latest NEDSPA (North European Deep-Sea Pilots Association) meeting, held in Hull (UK), bringing together representatives from across Europe
EMPA - European Maritime Pilots' Association Secretary General Aileen Van Raemdonck was honoured to attend last week's ESPO (European Sea Ports Organisation) Award to celebrate inspiring port projects. This year's edition focused on initatives to attract more women to work in ports.
European Maritime Pilots' Association (EMPA) represented by its President Miguel Vieira de Castro had the privilege of meeting with the Board of Directors of the Spanish Maritime Pilots’ Association - Colegio Oficial Nacional de Prácticos de Puerto.
European Maritime Pilots' Association (EMPA) had the honour of participating in the Praticagem do Brasil - Brazilian Pilots' Association 47th National Pilotage Meeting, held at the Casa Grande Hotel in Guarujá (SP), represented by our President Miguel Vieira de Castro.
It was a great pleasure to attend the 28th Polish Maritime Pilots’ Congress in Szczecin today, representing EMPA – European Maritime Pilots’ Association.
During the opening ceremony, I had the opportunity to speak about Safety and Sustainability in Ports, highlighting EMPA’s collaborative approach to addressing current challenges and future tasks in European pilotage.
EMPA at Remote Pilotage Days 2025
Today, the European Maritime Pilots' Association (EMPA), represented by President Miguel Vieira de Castro and Vice President & Chairman of the Training and Technical Committee Jose A. Pérez, is attending the Remote Pilotage Days 2025, hosted by Finnpilot Pilotage Oy Ltd in Helsinki .
This key event gathers experts from across Europe and beyond to discuss the future of remote pilotage, with a strong emphasis on digitalisation, remote operations, human factors, and regulatory frameworks.
While EMPA recognises the value of exploring new technologies, our position remains clear: comprehensive risk assessments and rigorous testing of remote pilotage systems are essential to identify potential risks and areas for improvement, ensuring that technological advancements do not compromise the high standards of navigational safety currently upheld by on-site pilots.
We were delighted to meet fellow pilots from Finland, Denmark, Italy, Norway, and Canada, as well as representatives from AMURA – Airam Rodriguez and Agata Polcwiartek, solution providers of EMPAsafe.
A special thanks to Tero Vainio and Finnpilot Pilotage Oy Ltd for their kind invitation and excellent organisation of this event.