Pilot Dies in Fall From Pilot Ladder in Panama City, Florida

A Florida pilot passed away earlier this month after a pilot ladder accident in Panama City, Florida, the latest in a long and tragic line of lives lost due to slips and falls in the boarding process.

The St. Andrew’s Bay Pilots have confirmed that Capt. Phillip Brady, 46, suffered a fatal fall while disembarking a bulker. On January 12, Capt. Brady fell from a pilot ladder while transferring off the 60,000 dwt bulk carrier Lowlands Luck, and he fell 15 feet into the water. The pilot boat operator made every effort to save him, and recovered him from the water within two minutes. A Coast Guard crew transferred him to a medical center for treatment, but Brady succumbed to his injuries, the association said.

Brady graduated from USMMA in 2001, and had been a Florida pilot in Panama City for the last six years.

"Captain Brady was a respected and dedicated professional mariner whose loss is felt profoundly throughout the maritime community. He is survived by his fiancée and two young children," the association said in a statement. "We ask the public to keep Captain Brady’s family and loved ones in their thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time."

The casualty is under investigation, and the association said that the circumstances of Capt. Brady's passing are not yet fully known; for now, the pilots requested patience while the inquiry continues.

The Lowlands Luck had already had a dangerous week at the time of Capt. Brady's fall. On the morning of January 8, a crew of stevedores was finishing up the unloading of a bagged-cement cargo from Lowlands Luck alongside at Port of Panama City's east terminal. They used a muriatic acid solution to remove the residues of the cement from the hold, and the vapor from the acid interacted with the foggy morning weather in an unexpected manner, according to Panama City's fire department. The cleaning crew were exposed to acid vapors, and 11 people developed chest pain and breathing difficulty. All were hospitalized, including one who was in critical condition.

Lowlands Luck is a 2023-built bulker flagged in Singapore. After departing Panama City she continued on her commercial voyage, and is currently at Port Tampa Bay.