Knowing when to stop before stopping becomes impossible
Contents
Use the links below to jump to any section:
- What an Abort Actually Is
- Why Abort Decisions Are So Difficult
- Abort Criteria vs Abort Triggers
- Speed-Based Abort Criteria
- Track, Alignment, and Geometry Criteria
- UKC, Squat, and Water Depth Criteria
- Environmental Escalation Criteria
- Tug, Thruster, and Control Degradation Criteria
- Human Factors That Delay Abort Decisions
- Professional Abort Mindset
1. What an Abort Actually Is
An abort is not a failure.
It is a deliberate decision to preserve safety margins by stopping, holding, or withdrawing from a manoeuvre before control is lost.
During pilotage, an abort may mean:
- stopping the ship
- holding position
- leaving the channel
- delaying entry
- returning to anchorage
An abort is a planned safety action, not an emergency reaction.
2. Why Abort Decisions Are So Difficult
Abort decisions are hard because:
- the operation already feels committed
- social pressure discourages interruption
- stopping feels more dramatic than continuing
- consequences of delay are visible, consequences of continuation are not
Bridges often continue because nothing is yet wrong, even though margins are disappearing.
Abort decisions are hardest exactly when they are most necessary.
3. Abort Criteria vs Abort Triggers
Professional abort logic separates:
- criteria — predefined conditions
- triggers — real-time events
Criteria are set before pilotage begins.
Triggers occur during execution.
If criteria are not defined in advance, abort decisions become emotional and delayed.
4. Speed-Based Abort Criteria
Speed is the most common abort driver.
Abort criteria may include:
- speed exceeding agreed limits at defined points
- inability to reduce speed at expected rates
- excessive speed entering confined turns
If speed cannot be reduced while options remain, continuation becomes unsafe.
Speed-based aborts should occur early — not when speed becomes alarming.
5. Track, Alignment, and Geometry Criteria
Track deviation erodes margin silently.
Abort criteria should include:
- failure to achieve alignment before critical bends
- excessive lateral offset from planned track
- late turn initiation without recovery space
Geometry problems rarely fix themselves.
If the ship is not where it should be early, it will not be where it needs to be later.
6. UKC, Squat, and Water Depth Criteria
UKC margins reduce invisibly.
Abort criteria may include:
- unexpected UKC reduction
- squat exceeding calculated allowance
- water depth lower than predicted
- increased interaction effects
Once squat and interaction dominate, control authority reduces rapidly.
Aborting early preserves water under the keel — and options.
7. Environmental Escalation Criteria
Environmental conditions rarely remain static.
Abort criteria should account for:
- wind increasing beyond predicted limits
- gusts becoming more frequent or stronger
- current changes affecting alignment
- wave action increasing interaction
If conditions exceed those planned for, the plan is no longer valid.
Continuing with an invalid plan is not confidence — it is denial.
8. Tug, Thruster, and Control Degradation Criteria
External and internal assistance must be reliable.
Abort criteria include:
- tug unavailability or reduced effectiveness
- thruster overheating or cut-out
- steering degradation
- propulsion response issues
If assistance becomes essential rather than helpful, margins are already gone.
9. Human Factors That Delay Abort Decisions
Abort decisions are often delayed because:
- nobody wants to be “the one”
- challenge feels confrontational
- continuation feels normal
- escalation feels dramatic
Accident reports frequently show that:
“The option to abort existed — but was not taken.”
Abort criteria remove hesitation by making the decision procedural, not personal.
10. Professional Abort Mindset
Professional Masters and pilots treat aborts as successfully executed safety actions.
They:
- define criteria early
- speak up early
- abort while control remains
- accept delay as a safety cost
- resume operations when margins return
An early abort is quiet.
A late abort is violent.
Closing Perspective
Most pilotage accidents occur not because an abort was impossible —
but because it was no longer possible by the time it was considered.
Abort criteria exist to protect margin, authority, and control.
When abort decisions are clear, early, and respected, pilotage remains calm.
When they are vague, emotional, or avoided, physics eventually decides — and it does not negotiate.
Tags
pilotage abort · port entry safety · bridge decision making · confined waters · maritime safety · command responsibility