Captain Ben Ranson celebrates 30 years working at sea

Torn between working in marine biology or on ships, it was once he got experience on deck that he was hooked.

“After completing my science degree, I had two jobs, one with CSIRO in Brisbane as a marine biologist/lab technician and another working for Stradbroke Ferries as a jack of all trades - deck hand, booking officer and loading master,” he said.

“I realised I enjoyed working on boats more than working as a marine biologist and focused on working on ships.

“I joined the Australian Naval Reserve, completed a second degree in economics and applied for the Navy. I reached a point where I was preselected for Australian Navy and the Merchant Navy at the same time. At that point, I decided to join the Merchant Navy.”

Like most mariners, Captain Ranson has seen a lot of change throughout the years, particularly with the advancement of technology.

“I went through my career using radars, paper navigation charts, and sextants. Now, most ships operate computer-based electronic charts,” he said.

“It was a big change in process and technology going from paper to computer. We have dropped the pencil, parallel rulers, and dividers and now have a mouse and trackball with electronic screens.

“When I started all port pilotage navigation was done with the use of radar and visual transits. Basically, we manoeuvred ships and judged position by eye.

“Now all jobs require a pilot positioning unit. This is a highly accurate GPS device with two antennae and a change of heading detector.

“Today more than ever there are also more recording devices on board and ashore – voice, video, and electronic chart recordings. There’s considerably more transparency on what a pilot does every day.”

Last week Captain Ranson hit another career milestone celebrating 15 years with NQBP. During this time, he says there have been a few memorable highlights.

“I recently got my level 1 endorsement for Mackay which means that I can now pilot ROROs and 230-metre Panamax long-range Tankers into the Port of Mackay. That license took me two years to complete,” he said.

“Another memorable moment was when I was involved in establishing the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Program for Marine Pilots in Queensland.

“I was a Vice President of the Australian Marine Pilot Association and was part of the team that developed the CPD Program and in partnership with the AMOU got it accepted by Maritime Safety Queensland as a viable system.

“The CPD Program focuses on a large range of knowledge-based courses as well as Emergency Response Training for Marine Pilots. It’s still being used by NQBP Pilots now.”

After three decades of working on the water, Captain Ranson still enjoys his job and manoeuvring ships.

“I enjoy taking on the responsibility and conducting the ship and tugs to safely manoeuvre ships in and out of the port,” he said.

“It's great, I can work on ships and still go home at night. I get to do the best part of navigating ships and every job and every day is different.

“I also very much enjoy working with the other Marine Pilots. Everyone is hard-working, professional, and supportive.

“I appreciate the learnings I received when I was training and now am happy to be involved in training other Marine Pilots and passing on my knowledge and support.”

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Captain Ranson after safely berthing the CL Diyin He at the Port of Mackay.