The job of harbor pilots is among the most dangerous on the water. They board incoming cargo ships and tankers and guide them through the home waters they know like the back of their hand.
Mounting and climbing a ladder from the pilot boat to a rolling ship can be the most perilous part of the job.
Here’s a video clip, apparently from Eastern Europe, that shows how quickly things can go wrong.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hj-qNLPXw5A
Few details about the incident are known, but it appears that the effort to save the fallen pilot was slow.
The commercial mariner publishing group Humans at Sea posted the video. One commenter says the pilot survived.
