General Pilotage Regulations (SOR/2000-132)

Minimum Number of Licensed Pilots or Holders of Pilotage Certificates on Board

• 25.15 (1) Subject to subsection (2), the minimum number of licenced pilots or pilotage certificate holders that shall be on board a ship at any time is one, except that two pilots shall be on board

  • (a) for any voyage during which the ship would require the services of a pilot on bridge watch for a period exceeding eight consecutive hours;

  • (b) for any voyage during which the ship would require the services of a pilot on bridge watch for a distance exceeding 105 consecutive nautical miles;

  • (c) if the ship cannot be safely navigated by only one pilot on bridge watch; or

  • (d) if the ship has requested two pilots.

• (2) A licensed pilot or pilotage certificate holder who has conduct of a towed ship may be on board the tug by which it is towed.

Licences

• 25.16 (1) The classes of licences that may be issued by the Minister are Class I and Class II licences.

• (2) A licence issued by the Minister shall have an endorsement on it that states what class of licence it is and in which compulsory pilotage areas the holder may pilot.

• (3) The Minister may issue a Class I licence to the holder of a Class II licence who has served satisfactorily as the holder of a Class II licence for a period of one year.

• (4) The Minister may issue a Class II licence to an apprentice pilot who meets the qualifications for a licence.

Pilotage Certificates

25.17 A pilotage certificate issued by the Minister may have an endorsement setting out any requirements or restrictions applicable to the holder and shall be endorsed with the following:

• (a) the size and type of ship that the pilotage certificate holder may pilot; and

• (b) the compulsory pilotage areas in which or the specific routes within a compulsory pilotage area on which the holder may pilot.

Applications for Licences and Pilotage Certificates

25.18 An applicant for a licence or pilotage certificate shall provide the Minister with evidence, information and references that will satisfy the Minister that they meet all the qualifications required by the Act and these Regulations.

Further Training

25.19 The holder of a licence or pilotage certificate shall be required to take further training to enable them to meet new qualifications of holders of licences and pilotage certificates required by this Division since their licence or certificate was issued and that they do not meet.

Examinations

• 25.20 (1) To determine whether an applicant for or the holder of a licence or pilotage certificate or an applicant who wishes to become an apprentice pilot meets the qualifications for applicants and holders required by the Act and these Regulations, the Minister may refer the qualifications of the applicant or holder to a committee of examiners.

• (2) There shall be two committees of examiners consisting of five members each.

• (3) One of the committees of examiners shall examine the qualifications of applicants and holders with respect to Area 1 and the other committee shall examine the qualifications of applicants and holders with respect to Areas 2, 3, 4 and 5.

• (4) Each committee of examiners shall consist of

  • (a) two persons appointed by the Pacific Pilotage Authority, one of whom shall be Chairperson of the committee;

  • (b) a licensed pilot appointed by the representative body of licensed pilots;

  • (c) a licensed pilot appointed by that Authority; and

  • (d) a master mariner appointed by that Authority.

• (5) A committee of examiners shall be appointed for a term of one year beginning on July 1 of each year.

• (6) Any retiring member of a committee of examiners shall be eligible for re-appointment to that committee.

• (7) A quorum of a committee of examiners shall be four members.

25.21 A committee of examiners shall

• (a) prepare a list of applicants who are eligible to become apprentice pilots or holders of licences or pilotage certificates and submit the list to the Pacific Pilotage Authority for approval;

• (b) conduct examinations under the direction of the Pacific Pilotage Authority;

• (c) submit to the Minister statements of the results of all examinations conducted by the committee of examiners;

• (d) prepare the curriculum of training for the Pacific Pilotage Authority’s apprenticeship system and any pilotage certificate training program that is established by that Authority; and

• (e) hold regular meetings as directed by the Pacific Pilotage Authority to review the progress of persons in the apprenticeship system and any pilotage certificate training program that is established by that Authority.

• 25.22 (1) Examinations conducted by a committee of examiners shall be in any form that the Pacific Pilotage Authority determines and shall include questions relating to the following:

  • (a) local knowledge of every area to which the application, licence or pilotage certificate relates including

    • (i) tides and currents,

    • (ii) dredged channel widths and depths,

    • (iii) depth of water,

    • (iv) important and essential cable areas and prohibited anchorage areas,

    • (v) anchorage areas and depths,

    • (vi) aides to navigation, and

    • (vii) bridge signals and clearances;

  • (b) knowledge of

    • (i) the Collision Regulations,

    • (ii) regulations under the Canada Marine Act respecting harbours and ports,

    • (iii) the Act and the regulations made under it, and

    • (iv) the Quarantine Regulations;

  • (c) seamanship and ship handling;

  • (d) docking problems and the use of tugs and anchors;

  • (e) general chart work, including the correction of courses and compass errors;

  • (f) communications;

  • (g) International Code of Signals, including the use of one and two flag signals;

  • (h) duties of a pilot;

  • (i) use of navigational and bridge instruments;

  • (j) practical knowledge of the interpretation and operation of radar; and

  • (k) any other subjects that the committee of examiners may consider necessary.

• (2) A candidate may attempt the examinations referred to in subsection (1) up to six times.

Place of Examinations

25.23 Examinations conducted by the committee of examiners shall be held at the place that the Pacific Pilotage Authority may from time to time prescribe in a notice given by that Authority to the persons who will take the examinations.

Eligibility for Apprenticeship System

• 25.24 (1) The name of an applicant who wishes to become an apprentice pilot and meets the qualifications for an applicant for or a holder of a licence set out in the Act and these Regulations shall be placed by a committee of examiners on an eligibility list prepared by them under paragraph 25.21(a).

• (2) The name of an applicant who meets the qualifications referred to in subsection (1) shall be placed on the eligibility list after the last name on the list.

• (3) If several applicants meet the qualifications referred to in subsection (1) at the same time, their names shall be placed on the eligibility list after the last name on the list in an order that ranks them, from highest to lowest, in accordance with their results in the examinations referred to in section 25.22.

• (4) The name of an applicant referred to in subsection (1) shall remain on the eligibility list for a period of two years.

• (5) Upon the expiration of the two-year period referred to in subsection (4), the name of the applicant shall be removed from the eligibility list unless they establish to the satisfaction of the committee of examiners that they

  • (a) have, during the two-year period, maintained sea service in each area in respect of which they intend to become an apprentice pilot; and

  • (b) meet the qualifications referred to in subsection (1).

Appointment of Apprentice Pilots

25.25 If the Pacific Pilotage Authority requires an apprentice pilot to meet the needs of the pilotage service, that Authority may appoint as an apprentice pilot a person whose name is at the top of the eligibility list referred to in section 25.24.

Duration of Apprenticeship

• 25.26 (1) An apprentice pilot shall,

  • (a) to qualify for a licence for Area 1, serve as an apprentice pilot for a period of not less than three months in that Area and complete during that period not fewer than 50 assignments in the Area with a licensed pilot; or

  • (b) to qualify for a licence for Areas 2 to 5,

    • (i) serve as an apprentice pilot for a period of not less than six months and not more than 24 months in those Areas, and

    • (ii) during the period served as required by subparagraph (i), complete not fewer than 90 assignments with a licensed pilot.

• (2) A person shall cease to be an apprentice pilot when they

  • (a) are granted a licence;

  • (b) withdraw from the apprenticeship system; or

  • (c) are discharged from the apprenticeship system by the Pacific Pilotage Authority.

Apprenticeship System Training

• 25.27 (1) An apprentice pilot shall,

  • (a) when directed to do so by the Pacific Pilotage Authority, take examinations both written and oral before the committee of examiners;

  • (b) make the voyages at the direction of the Pacific Pilotage Authority that will give them the most extensive experience in the waters and ports of the compulsory pilotage area in respect of which they wish to obtain a licence; and

  • (c) keep a log of all voyages made by them pursuant to paragraph (b) in a form approved by the Pacific Pilotage Authority.

• (2) An apprentice pilot shall be under the direction and command of the licensed pilot of the ship to which they are assigned.

• (3) The Pacific Pilotage Authority may assign one apprentice pilot to a ship and may assign a second apprentice pilot to a ship after consultation with the ship’s master, owner or agent.