Good questions! Let's go one at a time The captains of the ships get them from one river end to the start of another river. Pilots are used for their local knowledge of the region- knowledge captains wouldn't have on their own. We have a pilot boat that comes alongside the ship when it's time for us to get off and we climb a rope ladder while both vessels are moving ahead and we jump from the ship ladder to the boat. I've never had any accidents while piloting (knock on wood) but accidents happen just like in any profession! Safety is always first. Number of ships per day vary depending on how many are trying to come in and out of port. Any ship over a specific size and flagged from a different country is compulsory to take a pilot. Not a dumb question about the unobstructed view! Ships come in all shapes and sizes some have cranes like this video and some don't. I've honestly never thought about the position of the bridge but I'd imagine it has something to do with how cargo is loaded. It almost always comes down to cargo. Some ships have the bridges on the front of the ships, mostly ships that carry cars, but most don't. Loved the questions hope I could help Good questions! Let's go one at a time The captains of the ships get them from one river end to the start of another river. Pilots are used for their local knowledge of the region- knowledge captains wouldn't have on their own. We have a pilot boat that comes alongside the ship when it's time for us to get off and we climb a rope ladder while both vessels are moving ahead and we jump from the ship ladder to the boat. I've never had any accidents while piloting (knock on wood) but accidents happen just like in any profession! Safety is always first. Number of ships per day vary depending on how many are trying to come in and out of port. Any ship over a specific size and flagged from a different country is compulsory to take a pilot.