Pilotage

The INTERTANKO Safety, Technical, & Environmental Committee (ISTEC) created a Pilotage Working Group (PWG) some years ago specifically to deal with the matter of pilotage. This group consists of six members from ISTEC including staff members from the INTERTANKO Secretariat. It was agreed at the outset that this group would:

• participate in all IMO committees addressing pilotage;
• take a lead in directing and encouraging other industry bodies to bring about the various changes to enhance safety during pilotage;
• maintain an open dialogue with Governments and regulators to achieve the ideas above;
• maintain an open dialogue with IMPA, EMPA, UKPA and any other pilotage group to encourage adoption of INTERTANKO’s ideas;
• encourage the Pilotage Organisations to comply with IMO Resolution A.960 (23);
• promote increased awareness of the responsibility of pilots and their organisations for the consequences of pilotage failure;
• ensure that pilots should not have to carry liability insurance;
• ensure that any liberalisation of pilotage services maintains the highest standards of safety and professional services through clearly defined responsibilities;
• encourage comprehensive Master/Pilot Exchange of information (MPX), where possible, before the pilot comes onboard;
• ensure full and thorough “face-to-face” exchange of information between the Master and the pilot after the pilot boards;
• ensure pilot boarding areas are located in suitable positions to facilitate adequate Master/Pilot “face-to-face” exchange of information and sufficient time for the Master & pilot to assimilate this information before commencing the passage;
• ensure all pilots speak competent English, and that exchanges between tugs and shore authorities are conducted in English as well;
• ensure that Pilotage Authorities establish a means of assuring the quality of their operation, either through ISO or other suitable auditable and measurable manner;
• ensure that pilots participate in Bridge Resource Management (BRM) and refresher training for maintaining their skills to the highest levels;
• ensure that Pilot Authorities, wherever possible, produce standard passage plans for their ports showing the usual routes for entry and departure (as has been seen in use by Brisbane and Singapore with great success);
• encourage the installation of appropriate electronic monitoring facilities to increase ship position monitoring;
• encourage efforts by Governments to ensure the highest standards required for the safe operation of ships in their waters;
• ensure that provisions are in place for Pilotage Authorities to remove incompetent pilots.