General Pilotage Regulations (SOR/2000-132)

Familiarization Program

• 25.4 (1) A person may apply to the Pacific Pilotage Authority for entry into the Familiarization Program.

• (2) The Pacific Pilotage Authority shall approve familiarization trips if

  • (a) in the case of 10 familiarization trips or fewer, the applicant has served at least 50% of the days of service required by paragraph 25.3(1)(c) or 25.3(2)(a); and

  • (b) in the case of more than 10 familiarization trips, the applicant has served at least 75% of the days of service required by any of paragraphs 25.3(2)(b) to (d).

Certificates

25.5 In addition to the certificates required by subsection 10(1), an applicant for or a holder of a licence or pilotage certificate shall hold a training certificate indicating that they have successfully completed a course approved in accordance with section 114 of the Marine Personnel Regulations

• (a) in simulated electronic navigation, level 2; and

• (b) in automatic radar plotting aids.

Apprenticeship

25.6 The holder of a licence shall have successfully completed the apprenticeship system approved by the Minister.

Requirements

25.7 An applicant for a licence or pilotage certificate shall provide the Minister with evidence that the applicant maintained a record of safe ship handling and navigation before applying for their licence or pilotage certificate.

25.8 The holder of a licence or pilotage certificate shall

• (a) have passed the required examinations of their qualifications conducted by the committee of examiners;

• (b) have a degree of proficiency in the English language sufficient to carry out their pilotage duties; and

• (c) have passed a medical examination that tests the holder’s physical and mental fitness for pilotage duties.

Ships Subject to Compulsory Pilotage

• 25.9 (1) Every ship of more than 350 gross tonnage that is not a pleasure craft and every pleasure craft of more than 500 gross tonnage is subject to compulsory pilotage.

• (2) For the purposes of subsection (1), if a ship is part of an arrangement of ships, then the combined tonnage of all the ships in the arrangement of ships is taken into consideration in determining whether the ship is subject to compulsory pilotage.

• (3) Subsection (1) does not apply in respect of

  • (a) a government vessel as defined in section 2 of the Canada Shipping Act, 2001;

  • (b) a ferry; or

  • (c) a United States government ship of less than 10,000 gross tonnage.

Waiver of Compulsory Pilotage

• 25.10 (1) The Pacific Pilotage Authority may, on application, waive compulsory pilotage in respect of a ship in any of the following circumstances:

  • (a) the ship is in distress;

  • (b) a person on board the ship requires medical evacuation;

  • (c) the ship is engaged in rescue or salvage operations;

  • (d) the ship is seeking refuge; or

  • (e) a licensed pilot is not available to perform the functions of a pilot and the following conditions have been met:

    • (i) the owner, master or agent of the ship has complied with sections 25.12 and 25.13, and

    • (ii) all persons in charge of the deck watch are familiar with the route and the marine traffic control system in the compulsory pilotage area that the ship is entering.

• (2) The Pacific Pilotage Authority may waive compulsory pilotage in respect of a ship that

  • (a) is warping and is not using its engines or a tug except as a line boat for the handling of the ship’s lines;

  • (b) is proceeding directly — and, if applicable, in accordance with an established traffic separation scheme — to a pilot boarding station located within a compulsory pilotage area for the purpose of embarking a licensed pilot; or

  • (c) is proceeding directly — and, if applicable, in accordance with an established traffic separation scheme — out of a compulsory pilotage area after disembarking a licensed pilot at a pilot boarding station located within that area.

• (3) The Pacific Pilotage Authority may, on application, waive compulsory pilotage in respect of a ship of less than 10,000 gross tonnage if, as of the day on which the application is made, every person in charge of the deck watch

  • (a) holds the certificates that are required by Part 2 of the Marine Personnel Regulations or, if the ship is not Canadian, equivalent certificates;

  • (b) has completed, as a person in charge of the deck watch on voyages in that Authority’s region or engaged in the coastal trade, at least

    • (i) 150 days of service in the preceding 18 months, or

    • (ii) 365 days of service in the preceding 60 months, including at least 60 days in the preceding 24 months; and

  • (c) has served as a person in charge of the deck watch in the compulsory pilotage area for which the waiver is sought on at least one occasion within the preceding 24 months.

• (4) Compulsory pilotage may be waived in respect of a ship referred to in subsection (3) that is travelling in the portion of Area 1 west of the New Westminster railway bridge if every person in charge of the deck watch has, within the 24 months before the day on which the application is made, completed five return voyages, of which the Pacific Pilotage Authority was given prior notice, through that portion of Area 1

  • (a) with a licensed pilot; or

  • (b) with a person in charge of the deck watch who has previously completed five return voyages, of which that Authority was given prior notice, through that portion of Area 1 with a licensed pilot.

• (5) Compulsory pilotage may be waived in respect of a ship referred to in subsection (3) that is travelling in the portion of Area 1 east of the New Westminster railway bridge if every person in charge of the deck watch has, within the 24 months before the day on which the application is made, completed 10 return voyages, of which the Pacific Pilotage Authority was given prior notice, through that portion of Area 1

  • (a) with a licensed pilot; or

  • (b) with a person in charge of the deck watch who has previously completed 10 return voyages, of which that Authority was given prior notice, through that portion of Area 1 with a licensed pilot.

• (6) Compulsory pilotage may be waived in respect of a ship referred to in subsection (3) that is carrying dangerous goods and travelling in the Second Narrows Traffic Control Zone if every person in charge of the deck watch has, as of the day on which the application is made, completed six return voyages, at least one of which was completed within the preceding 24 months, of which the Pacific Pilotage Authority was given prior notice, through that Zone

  • (a) with a licensed pilot; or

  • (b) with a person in charge of the deck watch who has previously completed six return voyages, of which that Authority was given prior notice, through that Zone with a licensed pilot.

• (7) If a ship is part of an arrangement of ships then the combined gross tonnage of all the ships in the arrangement of ships is taken into consideration in determining whether the ship qualifies for a waiver of compulsory pilotage under subsection (3).

• (8) For greater certainty, the Pacific Pilotage Authority may not waive compulsory pilotage in respect of any period before the embarkation or after the disembarkation of the persons who meet the conditions set out in subsections (3) to (6), as the case may be.

• (9) Despite subsections (3) to (6), a ship is subject to compulsory pilotage if there is a risk to navigational safety because of

  • (a) ship safety orders resulting from an environmental risk;

  • (b) exceptional circumstances on board the ship; or

  • (c) extreme conditions related to weather, tides or currents or freshet conditions.

• (10) An application for a waiver of compulsory pilotage other than an application made under a circumstance described in subsection (1) or (2) shall be made in writing.

• (11) At the request of the Pacific Pilotage Authority, the persons in charge of the deck watch referred to in subsections (1) to (6) shall produce evidence that the conditions set out in this section continue to be met.

Pilot Boarding Stations

25.11 There shall be a pilot boarding station

• (a) at Fairway Buoy, off Brotchie Ledge near Victoria;

• (b) off Cape Beale, at the entrance to Trevor Channel in Barkley Sound;

• (c) off Triple Island, near Prince Rupert;

• (d) off Pine Island, near Port Hardy;

• (e) off Sand Heads, at the mouth of the Fraser River, for Area 1 pilot transfers; and

• (f) at any place in the Pacific Pilotage Authority’s region that it considers necessary to ensure a safe and efficient pilotage service.

Notice to Obtain Pilots

25.12 The master, owner or agent of a ship that is subject to compulsory pilotage and requires the services of a licensed pilot shall

• (a) with respect to the pilot boarding station referred to in paragraph 25.11(a),

  • (i) provide notice to the Pacific Pilotage Authority of the estimated time of the ship’s arrival, Coordinated Universal Time, at least 12 hours before arrival, and

  • (ii) confirm or correct the estimated time of the ship’s arrival four hours prior to arrival; and

• (b) with respect to the pilot boarding stations referred to in paragraphs 25.11(b) to (f),

  • (i) provide notice to the Pacific Pilotage Authority of the estimated time of the ship’s arrival, Coordinated Universal Time, at least 48 hours before arrival, and

  • (ii) confirm or correct the estimated time of the ship’s arrival at least 12 hours prior to arrival.

Required Information in Notice

25.13 The notice referred to in section 25.12 shall include

• (a) the pilotage service to be performed;

• (b) the name, nationality, length, breadth, deepest draft and gross tonnage of the ship; and

• (c) any other information about the ship that affects its speed or manoeuvrability or the safety of navigation.

Notification of Pilotage Certificate Holders and Waivers

• 25.14 (1) If a person in charge of the deck watch of a ship is a pilotage certificate holder, the master, owner or agent of that ship shall, 48 hours before entering a compulsory pilotage area, notify the Pacific Pilotage Authority of the intended voyage of the ship and the name of the holder and the number of their certificate.

• (2) If a waiver of compulsory pilotage has been granted in respect of a ship, the master, owner or agent of that ship shall, 48 hours before entering a compulsory pilotage area, notify the Pacific Pilotage Authority of the intended voyage of the ship and the names of all persons in charge of the deck watch.