Sumanth Surendran

Marine Pilot

How long have you been at Port Otago?
Since August 2018.

What does your role involve?
As a Pilot, you're like the conductor of an orchestra, coordinating all available assets (including prevailing weather conditions and currents) to complete a safe pilotage. The 'instruments' in our orchestra are the ship's Bridge team, her crews, Harbour Control, two tugs and mooring crews.
My primary focus as Pilot is ensuring that ships are brought in and out of the harbour safely, thereby ensuring the environment, livelihood and port infrastructure are protected.
At Port Otago, I sail out on one of the port's pilot boats – past Taiaroa Head to the Pilot Boarding Grounds to board the waiting vessel via a rope ladder.
Once on board, I am taken to the Bridge and introduced to the Captain, who then allows me to join his team as the local knowledge expert. The Captain hands over the 'conduct' of his or her ship to me as the Pilot, while he/she retains full responsibility for the ship.
After navigating the ship safely up the harbour, I guide her to her allocated berth, which is effectively a controlled collision (not dissimilar to an aeroplane landing on a runway).
I can be on board for two or three hours and, from the moment you step onto the ship, you're assessing the ship and crew you will be working with. I work with the Captain, Officer of the Watch and helmsmen – taking in information and using it to direct engine speeds and revs, steering, tugs and the mooring crews. I am responsible for the safety of the ship, the people around and in her vicinity.
For departure, I safely guide the ship back out to just beyond Taiaroa Head, disembark into the pilot boat and head to shore.

What is the Otago Harbour like to negotiate?
Our harbour is tricky for several reasons: the size of ships versus the narrowness of the dredged channel, our weather conditions, the transit through the Halfway Islands and the year-round strong tidal current flow. This harbour is a constantly changing beast. We are also dealing with ships of varying dimensions, propulsion systems and dynamics. No two ships are the same.

What did you do before you came to Port Otago?
I started my career as a cadet in 1991, sailing the high seas on the very same types of ships that come in to our port. I worked long stints away from home – up to 14 months straight sometimes. In 2002, I obtained my Master's Unlimited Certificate of Competency that qualified me to sail the seven seas as Captain on any class of ships in the Merchant Marine. In 2008, I joined the Port of Albany in Western Australia as one of the two marine Pilots, carrying out the dual role of Pilot and Harbour Master / Deputy Harbour Master.

Why this career?
My father was a Captain at sea – a true sea dog of old – who worked for an Indian shipping company. I used to sail with my father as the Captain's son and was treated like royalty! I learned to walk on a ship and, as a four year old, could be found drawing nothing else but pictures of ships.
When I became a cadet, I was flabbergasted to find the role much less glamorous than when I was sailing as the Captain's son. As a Cadet, I was chipping rust, scrubbing floors, cleaning toilets and such before I even got close to the privilege of the Bridge.
When I came ashore in Albany in 2008, I tried a stint as a stevedore shift manager before heading afloat again, this time on Anchor Handling Tug Supply (AHTS) vessels in the Australian off shore industry. I had spent my entire career at sea giving a wide berth to oil rigs and oil fields, only to find myself positioning a vessel a few metres off them! The off shore industry gave me a better understanding of ship handling that allowed me to progress in to pilotage, where I found my niche.

What skills do you need to be a Pilot?
Not everyone can become a Pilot. He or she needs to have the aptitude for the job, the competency and most importantly the ability to carry out the role. You need years out at sea honing your skills, experience and maturity on board ships, as you work your way up the ranks. As a Pilot, you rely heavily on that experience that brings with it intuition. Training is 'on the job' with senior Pilots, who prepare you for situations and scenarios that have been passed down over the generations and sometimes through their own experience.
You start as a trainee Pilot and then move through Levels 1 to 3 and then Unrestricted where you can handle ships greater than 265m in length into Port Chalmers.
When I started my career, we navigated using sextants. Today, they are obsolete, replaced by the latest in electronic navigation chart systems and displays. I have the privilege of straddling both worlds – being able to eye ball a situation, as well as using electronics to back me up if the situation arises.

What's the best part of your job?
I love moving ships and being out on the water. In this job, I enjoy the best of both worlds. I'm out at sea, meeting different nationalities on board the ship. Then I come home to my family each day, play my sport and relax after a job well done.