00:00More than 3,000 giant ships arrive off the coast of Port Hedland every year to collect
00:08and deliver the iron ore that makes this port one of the busiest in the world.
00:13And slow ahead, slow ahead, thank you.
00:16Guiding these giants requires specialist knowledge.
00:21The ABC was flown on a Pilbara Ports flight to witness a marine pilot bringing a 300 meter
00:26long bulk carrier into port.
00:29The pilot in essence is, manages the risk and channel integrity of the port and the
00:36port infrastructure.
00:37So I look at a pilot as like an insurance policy.
00:40With around 600 million tons of material passing through Port Hedland every year, the economic
00:45output is comparable to the entire economy of countries like Myanmar or Turkmenistan.
00:51It was the chance to join such a big operation that lured Mr. Ruxton from the port of London
00:55to WA's remote northwest.
00:58Everybody wants to drive the bigger ships and it's what I'm able to do here.
01:02Bringing him in was part of a new strategy to employ marine pilots directly rather than
01:06relying on contractors.
01:08COVID was really a reality check for us in terms of the reliability of bringing pilots
01:13to port.
01:14A lot of ours are based on the east coast.
01:16That caused a lot of problems.
01:18Marine pilot related delays at the port have come down about 60% and our aim is to get
01:22that essentially to zero.
01:24The port also wants to employ more women in this role.
01:27Only ten women are working as marine pilots in Australia.
01:30Two are in Port Hedland.
01:32Going to sea isn't the natural career path for women.
01:35It's very much more accepted now that you can go to sea, that you can have that full
01:40career path to master or to pilotage or in the port itself.
01:43A career path keeping Australia's iron ore powerhouse in ship shape.
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