Captain Cahit Istikbal, Chairman of the Turkish Maritime Pilots' Association and Vice Chairman of the International Maritime Pilots' Association, says “Generally, the tanker captains become rather tense when their ships are laden. But when they see the pilot, they feel relieved, for they know the pass will be smooth. So, we can say that pilots are the best friends of the captains. Pilots know captains from almost all countries in the world, and they make long-term friends,” in our interview we made with him.