>The captain of the ship relinquishes control to the pilots from the port authority This isn't quite true and has to be worded carefully to explain how respons

>The captain of the ship relinquishes control to the pilots from the port authority This isn't quite true and has to be worded carefully to explain how responsibility is assigned. The ship is not allowed permission to come into port/harbor/canal without a local pilot on board. That's very different from relinquishing control to the local pilot. The local pilot acts more like an advisor and guide for navigation but the ship's helmsman & captain still retain physical control of the ship's speed and steering. From the reports I read of this specific Ever Given incident, the local guide pilot didn't command the helmsman to speed up to 13 knots. The ship's captain is still ultimately responsible for what happens. Does that mean that even when I'm required to use the local pilot, he still can't be blamed for things going wrong?!? Yes, that's how it works. The ship has no choice of not accepting that deal if it wants access to that port. EDIT : I found a video with a chief engineer from a cargo ship explaining maritime responsibility. Deep link: https://youtu.be/ltdHRdtEHE4?t=3m14s https://youtu.be/ltdHRdtEHE4?t=3m14s