a local pilot is used to steer a vessel entering or leaving a port, not the master of the vessel… what needs to be found is who was the pilot being used for this vessel
Here is an 8x speed video of the collision, which shows the sharp turn before it hit the pylon… the puff of smoke is most likely a backup generator being turned on, because those generators provide power for the rudder and the ship, not the engine that drives the propeller