Programme overview
Introduction:
Marine pilotage course covering ship handling, pilot transfer safety and pilot station management, held over 5 days for port marine departments, harbour master offices and pilot station managers, ending with a Pilotage Service Improvement Plan for a case pilot station. Ports suffer boarding injuries, groundings and long anchorage waits when pilot rosters, licensing and transfer checks run by custom rather than by a managed system. Nominees already supervise pilots, approve ship movements or run pilotage budgets, and work through case files of movement logs and boarding defect reports. CoreConcept Training Center delivers this marine pilotage course.
Course Objectives:
- Define the scope of a pilotage service, including compulsory pilotage areas, ship size thresholds, exemption certificates and the split of duties between master and pilot
- Apply IMO Resolution A.960 recommendations to design pilot training, graded licensing, fitness checks and continuing development for a pilot station
- Inspect pilot transfer arrangements against SOLAS Chapter V requirements and the IMPA required arrangements poster, and record defects and boarding refusals
- Analyse squat, bank suction, interaction and windage effects on deep-draught ships in confined channels to set speed and under keel clearance limits for pilotage acts
- Assess port passage risk with a hazard register and risk matrix, and set pilot dispatch, rostering and rest rules that control fatigue
- Design pilotage tariff structures and a KPI set for waiting times, delays and incidents, and assemble them into a Pilotage Service Improvement Plan
Target Audience:
- Port authority marine departments responsible for pilotage areas, movement approvals and marine safety rules
- Harbour master offices that authorise ship movements, set channel limits and investigate marine incidents
- Pilot station management responsible for pilot rosters, dispatch, pilot boats and boarding grounds
- Pilot training and licensing units responsible for trainee progression, simulator assessment and revalidation
- Port commercial and finance units responsible for pilotage tariffs, invoicing and service level reporting
Course Outline:
Day 1: Pilotage Service Foundations and Pilot Station Current State
- Compulsory Pilotage Areas, Ship Size Thresholds and Exemption Certificates
- Master Responsibility and Pilot Advisory Role on the Bridge
- Port Authority Employed Versus Self-Employed Pilot Association Models
- Pilot Boarding Areas, Pilot Boats and Helicopter Transfer Options
- Pilot Station Current-State Review Using Movement and Incident Records
Day 2: IMO Pilotage Recommendations, Transfer Arrangements and Licensing
- IMO Resolution A.960 Pilot Training and Certification Recommendations
- IMO Resolution A.960 Operational Procedures and Pilot Fitness Provisions
- SOLAS Chapter V Pilot Transfer Arrangement Requirements and Inspection Points
- IMPA Required Pilot Transfer Arrangements Poster and Ladder Rigging Checks
- Graded Pilot Licence Steps From Trainee to Unrestricted Licence
Day 3: Confined-Water Ship Handling and Master-Pilot Exchange
- Squat Behaviour, Block Coefficient and Speed Reduction in Shallow Channels
- Bank Suction, Bow Cushion and Ship-to-Ship Interaction in Narrow Fairways
- Windage Drift, Leeway and Minimum Steerage Speed for Deep-Draught Ships
- Master-Pilot Information Card, Pilot Card and Wheelhouse Poster Review
- Pilotage Passage Briefing, Bridge Team Roles and Challenge Phrases
Day 4: Port Passage Risk, Boarding Incidents and Pilotage Performance
- Port Passage Risk Assessment Using Hazard Identification and Risk Matrix
- Pilot Ladder Defect Reporting, Boarding Refusal and Near-Miss Records
- Pilot Dispatch Rostering, Rest Hours and Fatigue Risk Controls
- Pilotage Tariff Structures by Gross Tonnage, Draught and Distance
- Pilotage KPI Set for Delays, Waiting Times and Incidents
Day 5: Case Study and the Pilotage Service Improvement Plan
- Case Pilot Station Data Pack and Service Gap Analysis
- Case Port Passage Risk Register for Deep-Draught Arrivals
- Case Pilot Roster, Dispatch Rules and Boarding Ground Schedule
- Case Pilot Licensing Pathway and Continuing Development Matrix
- Pilotage Service Improvement Plan Completion and Peer Challenge
Skills You Will Gain:
- Pilotage Area Definition
- Pilot Licensing Scheme Design
- Pilot Transfer Arrangement Inspection
- Confined-Water Ship Handling Analysis
- Port Passage Risk Assessment
- Pilot Dispatch and Rostering
- Pilotage Tariff Design
- Pilotage Performance Measurement
Why Attend This Course:
- Present a Pilotage Service Improvement Plan for a case pilot station to the harbour master and the head of the port marine department for approval
- Judge whether a deep-draught arrival needs a speed limit, an extra pilot, a tidal window or a postponed boarding
- Prevent boarding injuries, roster-driven fatigue, ship waiting time at anchorage and tariff disputes with shipping lines
- Brief pilots, pilot boat crews and marine controllers on the transfer checklist, risk register and dispatch rules
Conclusion:
Back at work, the participant presents the Pilotage Service Improvement Plan to the harbour master, the pilot station manager and the port finance lead. They use it to approve pilotage area limits, the licensing pathway for trainee pilots, transfer arrangement inspection routines, roster and rest rules, and any change to the tariff structure. After the first quarter under the plan, the unit should review pilot waiting times, boarding defect reports, near misses in the channel, roster breaches and tariff income against the KPI targets set in the plan.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
What should participants know before the marine pilotage and pilot station management course?
Participants should already work in a port marine department, harbour master office or pilot station and understand basic ship movements in port. A sea-going licence is not needed; a laptop with a spreadsheet application is used for the roster, tariff and KPI exercises.
How does a marine pilotage and pilot station management course differ from a navigation or vessel traffic course?
It treats pilotage as a managed service: licensing, transfer safety, dispatch, tariffs and passage risk. Navigation equipment courses focus on bridge instruments and voyage plans, vessel traffic courses on shore watchkeeping, and towage courses on tug handling and towlines.
Why does pilot transfer safety matter in marine pilotage management?
Boarding and leaving a moving ship is the most exposed part of a pilotage act. Substandard ladders and rigging remain a recurring finding in pilot safety surveys, so the pilot station needs inspection, defect reporting and refusal rules that every pilot applies the same way.
What do participants take back from the marine pilotage and pilot station management course?
Participants take back a Pilotage Service Improvement Plan for a case pilot station, with a service gap analysis, a port passage risk register, roster and dispatch rules, a licensing pathway and a KPI set they can adapt to their own port.