Pilotage obligations and tariffs

Priority: New Style Pilotage must do justice to the knowledge and experience of captains and first officers

Dutch shipowners:

“Deployment of a pilot is not necessary if the captain or first officer has the correct knowledge and experience. This must remain a fundamental part of a clear and fair system of exemptions in the New Style Pilotage.”

New Style Pilotage came into effect on 1 January 2021. The KVNR is making every effort to ensure uniformity within the Dutch seaport areas, partly considering the knowledge and skills of captains and first officers.

2015 - Van Oord - Nexus - 5
KVNR - Marjolein van Noort - Financiering, Handel en Europese zaken - web
Contact

 

Marjolein van Noort
EU Public Affairs


+31 6 2392 4513
noort@kvnr.nl

KVNR - Nathan Habers - Public Relations, Crisiscoördinatie en Geopolitiek - web
Press inquiries

 

Nathan Habers
Public Relations


+31 10 2176 264
habers@kvnr.nl

Context

Because it was insufficiently aligned with developments in the shipping industry, the system regarding pilotage obligations was changed to New Style Pilotage on 1 January 2021. The common denominator in the review process was security in ports and on Dutch waters.

New Style Pilotage represents a significant change for a number of shipowners, including captain-owners. For example, the Register of Small Ships is no longer applicable. Positive aspects include i). the transitional arrangements for a number of categories, ii). the commitment to stakeholder consultation and iii). the fact that the new legislation is an experimental provision contributing to a law that remains up to date.

New Style Pilotage works with a number of so-called Pilot Exemption Certificate (PEC) categories that apply to different ship types. The biggest change is that a PEC is linked to a captain or first officer and a ship. For each PEC category, there are conditions to which a captain or first officer must comply. Furthermore, after obtaining a PEC in a certain category, various combinations can be possible.

The challenge

A transitional scheme has been arranged for small seagoing vessels as well as for sand and gravel-carrying vessels. Here, the legislation and regulations provide scope for the competent authorities (the ports) to regulate the execution of specific matters. For example, this applies to the conditions for exemption for the modules, including the module regarding knowledge of the regulations.

New Style Pilotage calls for good cooperation with all parties to ensure the proper alignment of the law and its practical operation. Moreover, the new legislation will be evaluated after one year. Together with the experimental provision, this may be a good time to align the law further with real-world operations.

In addition, separate agreements apply to the Scheldt estuary area that do not correspond with other port areas; these should be aligned.

State of play - 8 February 2021

New Style Pilotage came into effect on 1 January 2021. However, ships that comply with the transitional arrangement can apply for a PEC up to and including 30 June. Until then, whether or not a pilot is required on board should be discussed with the port.

The ports have room to manoeuvre in terms of customisation. Consultation with stakeholders about the Scheldt estuary region is ongoing and will take some time. The KVNR is making every effort to ensure uniformity within the Dutch seaport areas, partly considering the knowledge and skills of captains and first officers.