New career pathways opened in the maritime industry as Pilbara Ports partners with North Regional TAFE

A new employment program at WA’s busiest export port is creating a young and diverse pool of talent to enter a career in marine piloting. Marine pilots provide an essential service at Port Hedland by navigating big bulk iron ore carriers safely in and out of the harbour. The Pilbara Ports marine pilotage employment program uses water training, simulators, prior experience recognition and technical competency assessments to improve the training process without disregarding safety standards that are required to pilot vessels through Port Hedland’s waters. Pilbara Ports’ pilotage team has grown to 16 pilots with more jobs to come, as projects such as the Lumsden Point development which is supported by the Federal and State governments, increased the demand for port services. Pilbara Ports partnered with North Regional TAFE to relocate simulator equipment from its Broome campus to the new Port Hedland facility, including a replica ship bridge. The new marine simulation facility contains digital replicas of nine different ports, providing a simulated training experience in a variety of vessels, as well as different locations, weather conditions, currents, tides and times of day. On a visit to Pilbara Ports’ new marine simulator facility in Port Hedland on October 25, Ports Minister David Michael put the equipment through its paces, under the watchful eye of its recently formed internal team of marine pilots. Pilbara Ports is also improving diversity in the maritime industry as a female marine pilot recently joined the team and is expected to be fully licensed in early 2024, with a second due to start soon. It’s a significant step, with women making up just 2 per cent of the global workforce. While the high standard that the company has for future employees still stands, Pilbara Ports has developed alternative training pathways for mariners coming from a variety of career backgrounds who want to pursue a career in pilotage. Ports Minister David Michael said visiting the Marine Simulation Centre in Port Hedland was a fantastic opportunity to understand the complexity of navigating vessels in and out of the port of Port Hedland. “More than 3000 vessels visited the port of Port Hedland in 2022-23, transporting 566.5 million tonnes of cargo,” he said. “By implementing programs such as these, Pilbara Ports is ensuring it continues to deliver economic returns for the State, while also removing significant barriers to employment in the maritime industry.”