Captain Dennis R. Sherwood, who had been piloting ships in and out of New York Harbor for more than 35 years, died after trying to board an inbound container ship near the Ambrose Light. Sherwood, a member of the Sandy Hook Pilots Association, fell from the accommodation ladder on the Maersk Kensington (pictured above) at 0430 hours. He fell back into his pilot boat, which rushed him to Staten Island. He passed away in a hospital there.
The Coast Guard responded to the accident, as did vessels from the New York Fire Department, and the New York Police Department Harbor Police. The Coast Guard is investigating the tragedy.
The Maersk Kensington, a 300-feet-long vessel, was arriving from Spain. At the time, the Ambrose Light buoy was reporting wave heights of 4 to 5 feet and wind gusts up to 30 knots.
A marine pilot’s job, involving climbing from a moving pilot boat to the side of a moving ship, is inherently dangerous, and accidents are not uncommon. Read more:
https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/sandy-hook-pilot-dies-in-boarding-accident
https://www.workboat.com/news/coastal-inland-waterways/new-york-pilot-dies-after-boarding-accident/
