In the old days there were a number of ways to get a ship off the dock. The pilot would decide based on a variety of factors; current, wind, horsepower, etc. on how to get the job done.  Every day, every job was different.  Towlines were dangerous.  They can break and did occasionally.  We would cheat and never use "full ahead" which in my case was 4000hp. 

 

This photo does not show the steel screen that I had installed to protect me at the aft controls just for that reason. A three inch dacron line can cut you in half. 

​

Now the technology is advancing at an unprecedented pace.  It may be possible some day to take human error and risk out of the picture. It's hard to imagine. There will still be risks, maybe new ones, as sometimes original thought is the only solution to an unexpected problem or complication.  This will be the challenge.