A Sandy Hook pilot has died after falling while boarding a Maersk boxship.
According to the US Coast Guard (USCG), the unnamed pilot was boarding the 6,200-teu Maersk Kensington (built 2007) at 4:30 am (0930 GMT) offshore New York Monday.
USCG responded along with the New York City police and fire departments.
The pilot was transported to a Staten Island hospital, but succumbed to his injuries.
"He was climbing the ladder from the pilot vessel and fell off the ladder onto the pilot vessel," USCG Petty Officer John Hightower told TradeWinds.
Hightower could not specify how far the pilot had fallen from the ladder onto the pilot vessel.
The Sandy Hook Pilots Association identified the deceased pilot as Captain Dennis Sherwood of Freehold, New Jersey, according to online news publication Patch.com.
The association said Sherwood had piloted ships in and out of the Port of New York & New Jersey for more than 35 years, Patch.com reported.
Maersk confirmed the incident, as well.
"Mærsk Line, Limited extends our condolences to his family and his colleagues at Sandy Hook pilots," the company said in a statement.
"The company is cooperating fully with the official investigations now underway."
According to automatic identification system data, the ship was bound for New York from Algeciras, Spain. The ship is currently moored in Newark Bay.
