What does a ship's pilot get paid?

The CG has just raised the pay of Great Lakes pilots to $399,000 per year. I'm curious if the ship's captain has a pilotage endorsement for a harbor, does he get paid for it?

Regardless whether a ships officer has pilotage or not for a specific route insurance and regulations will almost always require a pilot be onboard, frequently there's also a requirement for a docking pilot.

I clearly picked the wrong career....

Fish53 said:

Regardless whether a ships officer has pilotage or not for a specific route insurance and regulations will almost always require a pilot be onboard, frequently there's also a requirement for a docking pilot.

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I can understand the need for a pilot to navigate through the waterways, but I'm having a hard time seeing a pilot docking the vessel. I certainly understand the pilot explaining the approach to the captain, but would guess the captain has far more experience putting his vessel to the dock.

Have also watched the biggest ore carriers lock though the Soo Locks into Lake Superior. While I'm sure a pilot has great skill, I'm having a hard time seeing them more experienced with a specific vessel than the captain.

Maybe Wayfarer will answer these questions as he captains an ore boat in the Great Lakes.

Ted

In Washington, a pilot is picked up at Port Angeles in the Strait of Juan de Fuca for the refineries at Anacortes and Cherry Point, and for Puget Sound to the south. I believe the local union is called Puget Sound Pilots. Very highly paid and considered a plumb job for merchant marine captains who don't want to travel as far afield anymore.

Understand they work very limited hours per year. Didnt know the CG set the rate.

I'm not sure if true but a Puget Sound Pilot told me that the final exam for Pilots is to draw a chart of Puget Sound and approaches, including all markers, lights and hazards, from memory.

Plus most of them are retired ship captains, who were earning an above average income prior to retirement. And climbing up a unstable ladder on the side of a ship, sometimes underway, has to be tough for old guys. I did a few times when I was in my late 40's and it was not a cakewalk and not for the timid.

Here's a brief description of what pilots do containing two links to more info. Yes it's true the pilotage exam is in part drawing the chart from memory.

The CG setting the pay scale is new to me. In the US most pilotage authorities are local. The federal part is the licensing.

Forgot the link in my previous https://www.pspilots.org/what-we-do/

O C Diver said:

I can understand the need for a pilot to navigate through the waterways, but I'm having a hard time seeing a pilot docking the vessel. I certainly understand the pilot explaining the approach to the captain, but would guess the captain has far more experience putting his vessel to the dock.

Have also watched the biggest ore carriers lock though the Soo Locks into Lake Superior. While I'm sure a pilot has great skill, I'm having a hard time seeing them more experienced with a specific vessel than the captain.

Maybe Wayfarer will answer these questions as he captains an ore boat in the Great Lakes.

Ted

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Most ships on saltwater are docked with tugs and docking pilots are almost always ex tug captains, this makes communication between the ship and tugs much more effective. Great Lakes ore carriers are a specific type of ship for a specific job. Most newer ones have several bow and stern thrusters and while up to 1000ft long do not have the beam of saltwater vessels mostly so they can fit through the Soo.

Fish53 said:

Most ships on saltwater are docked with tugs and docking pilots are almost always ex tug captains, this makes communication between the ship and tugs much more effective. Great Lakes ore carriers are a specific type of ship for a specific job. Most newer ones have several bow and stern thrusters and while up to 1000ft long do not have the beam of saltwater vessels mostly so they can fit through the Soo.

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Yes, I was aware of that. The OP was about Great Lakes pilots specifically, hence the question regarding pilots to dock and lock.

Ted

Prior wife had a boyfriend who’s family owned a tug business for port of NY/NJ. Extremely lucrative business. Lead to believe you virtually need to be born into that closed circle. We got friendly so chatted time to time. He even bought a cherry MGB from me. Still, his description was of a high stress job. Both scheduled work but also “on call” so disruptive to social and family life. They had tugs that were staffed much like a fire company so fully staffed 24/7/365 as well as others doing only scheduled work. At least for that port sounded like there’s more than acquiring credentials to break into that group. Haven’t had contact with him for some years. Don’t know if things are different now.

I know 2 pilots for Los Angeles and 3 for Long Beach. None of them had previous tug experience. They are all maritime academy grads, and did their sea time on container ships advancing up to Unlimited Tonnage Master. These are coveted jobs, and the training programs are extensive and likely involve time on a tug for the particular port.

Fletcher500 said:

I know 2 pilots for Los Angeles and 3 for Long Beach. None of them had previous tug experience. They are all maritime academy grads, and did their sea time on container ships advancing up to Unlimited Tonnage Master. These are coveted jobs, and the training programs are extensive and likely involve time on a tug for the particular port.

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https://www.harborpilots.org/

Fish53 said:

https://www.harborpilots.org/

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I left the ship world many years ago, so wanted to verify also out of my own curiosity.

Text from an ex classmate who parks supertankers in Africa. I removed their names. Sounds like a combo of both experiences.

XXA was all deep sea experience, XXB I think same like XXC , both have USCG Masters unlimited license with the LA/LB pilotage endorsement, guys like XXD is all Tug Boat experience and also passed the test to get the LA/LB pilotage endorsement. I don't think XXD has a tonnage unlimited license like XXA and XXB. The Pilots like to hire both the deep sea guys and the tug Captains.

Ken E. said:

In Washington, a pilot is picked up at Port Angeles in the Strait of Juan de Fuca ...

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On my one passage from Anchorage to Tacoma on a TOTE ro-ro, we picked up the pilot and his apprentice off Port Angeles. IIRC, the apprentice had to make 100 supervised passages. Don't know if he was compensated for these.

In addition we carried a Cook Inlet pilot who spent most of his 70-day duty cycle in the gym.

The Great Lakes Pilots are a very unique situation. Two countries, St. Lawrence Seaway, Welland Canal, Ice and very limited number of days in the year. Salary may be $399k but don't bet on them actually earning that.

Other pilots in some areas are well paid but nothing like that. A Harbor Pilot in Alaska averages around $120k. Panama Canal pilots around $180k.

Pilots are often the subject of heavy discussion as their rates are not free market. They're typically a small restricted bargaining unit, rates often government bargained, and only members of the specific union are eligible. Plus their services are then required by law.

ancora said:

The CG has just raised the pay of Great Lakes pilots to $399,000 per year. I'm curious if the ship's captain has a pilotage endorsement for a harbor, does he get paid for it?

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The Great Lakes are unique in that the master is also a pilot. They do not pick up a pilot The Master docks the boat. Most lakers have huge thrusters bow and stern. In ports where a 1000’ laker can’t turn around they back up the channel and dock.

I owe one Delaware River pilot boat skipper a night of beer.

During a tropical storm, a sailboat went up on the shoals off Caper Henelopen, DE.

A pilot boat was standing by till the USCG arrived on scene.

The winds at the surface were probably 60 knots or so, at 800 feet when we (USCG Helo) arrived on scene it was pretty much a steady 80 knots. The surf was around 25 feet.

While deciding what was needed to do, I watched the pilot boat go up and over one wave...then completely disappear underwater on the next.

The captain very calmly radioed us and said "Hey Coast Guard, now that you are on scene, we are going to stand by a little farther offshore".

Yes.... I said...." sure thing and THANKS for standing by".......

That captain probably makes a fraction of what the pilots make, but that day he earned a comparable sum in my book.

On the lakes, all deck officers are pilots. Separate test for each lake and river, captains must have masters license as well as pilotage.

Great Lakes Pilots

On the Great Lakes all deck officers on most US and Canadian vessels that regularly ply the lakes (nicknamed Lakers) have pilotage. Therefore Lakers do not require US Registered Pilots. Foreign vessels (nicknamed Salties)or US or Canadian vessels that do not employ deck officers with pilotage must hire US Registered Pilots at the prevailing rate for all waters from the St. Lawrence River to Chicago or Duluth or wherever they are bound in the system. The Great Lakes Registered Pilots that these ships employ will do all the ship handling, though the Captain of the vessel is ultimately responsible for his or her vessel. Local knowledge and a command of English (or French for parts of Canada) is essential. The pilots are technically "advisors". The captain of the Lakers will do the ship handling while the mates are in charge of directing the line handling.

Coast guard does not set the rates, all the pilots associations are essentially unions and the unions set the rates. I know Guys from Houston, New Orleans, and Batton rouge pilots Associations and at least in those three places they make more than 399. The pilots association’s also are the ones to pay the insurances and other things so yes they actually pull down that much before taxes and after dues. One of my friends first year cut loose as a numbered pilot pulled down 425. The guys that have been there for many years pull down considerably more than that. To my knowledge New Orleans and Houston pilots are the best paid but you do pretty much need to be born into it or married in.

ancora said:

The CG has just raised the pay of Great Lakes pilots to $399,000 per year. I'm curious if the ship's captain has a pilotage endorsement for a harbor, does he get paid for it?

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Hi Ancora,


I dont know this specific case but generally speaking yes, if a Master is granted a pilotage exemption then yes they are usually paid a bonus for each pilotage passage they perform by the ships operators. This is because the operator does not need to pay the pilot and there needs to be some incentive to the Master.


Very seldom occurs as is difficult for a Master to obtain the exemptions, almost never on international ocean routes, and mostly common on coastal traders flagged by the country the ship is operating with the same nationalities onboard as the host port..


Ports are typically unwilling to grant exemptions, and Masters are typically unwilling to apply for the same..

ancora said:

The CG has just raised the pay of Great Lakes pilots to $399,000 per year. I'm curious if the ship's captain has a pilotage endorsement for a harbor, does he get paid for it?

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One wonders why the increase wasn’t just rounded to $400k

I think the confusion may be that under the Great Lakes Pilotage Act of 1960, the USCG sets the "rates", not the "pay" of the pilots.

I am confused. I didn't find where it said if it was the same or what

I did see this.....

"The Coast Guard establishes rates for Great Lakes pilots while pilot rates elsewhere in the U.S. are set at the local level. The number of lakes pilots has grown from 36 in 2014 to the current total of 52. The Coast Guard has said its goal is 54 “to help reduce fatigue and ensure safety on the waterways.”

https://www.workboat.com/coastal-in... fatigue and ensure safety on the waterways.”

At the risk of thread drift, who has the ultimate responsibility for meeting temporary Coast Guard restrictions while navigating a waterway that requires a local pilot-- the pilot or the captain?
For context, I was waiting for one of Musk's Starlink launches at Canaveral a little over a month ago and the launch was scrubbed at 30 seconds because the range was fouled by a Carnival cruise ship leaving the Port Canaveral channel during the launch.

The Port Canaveral website says all ships must have a pilot on board so I assume one was present as they were leaving the channel. In fact I would assume a pilot boat was also chasing the cruise ship out the channel to recover the pilot.

In fairness, that launch was one of only ~5 per year planned to be pointed unusually southward and I think the restricted area typically stops at the northern edge of the channel so is typically not affected by launches normally made to the east or southeast. But the CG had been broadcasting the restrictions all day so "somebody" should have been aware before the cruise ship left the dock.
So who would be on the hook for not following the temporary CG restrictions-- the highly paid "guy who is paid for his detailed, intimate, current local knowledge" pilot or the ship's captain who is usually ultimately responsible for everything?

Carriage Guy said:

So who would be on the hook for not following the temporary CG restrictions-- the highly paid "guy who is paid for his detailed, intimate, current local knowledge" pilot or the ship's captain who is usually ultimately responsible for everything?

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My understanding is the captain is in full command and bears full responsibility at all times. If the captain knows the pilot is in error the captain can over ride the pilot.

Here is one source supporting that. https://law.jrank.org/pages/9210/Pilot.html I don't know how autoratative jrank.org is.

"The legal rights and responsibilities of the harbor pilot's action in navigating vessels are well settled. The pilot has primary control of the navigation of the vessel, and the crew must obey any pilot order. The pilot is empowered to issue steering directions and to set the course and speed of the ship and the time, place, and manner of anchoring it. The captain is in command of the ship except for navigation purposes. The captain can properly assume command over the ship when the pilot is obviously incompetent or intoxicated.
Read more: Pilot - Ship, Harbor, Captain, and Law - JRank Articles https://law.jrank.org/pages/9210/Pilot.html#ixzz7QGCZtsul
"

Never heard of the USCG having jurisdiction over the wages of harbor pilots. Most if not all pilot organizations are private entities who can charge what the market for their services will bear. These entities are usually set up as partnerships with the net profits distributed to employees both licensed and unlicensed according to a formula in the partnership agreement. Some own their own helicopters and pilot boats to deliver personnel to the ships that have contracted for their services. They also have office staff to handle scheduling and other duties.

The USCG's authority extends to monitoring the licensed personal and perhaps controlling the operational areas of these organizations.

I just noticed when checking for updates to the story that the Port Canaveral incursion was by Royal Caribbean, not Carnival, my bad.

The Florida Harbor Pilots Association website mentions their duty is to ensure safe navigation of these vessels at Florida's 14 deep water ports and the president of that organization is quoted as "ensuring safe passage of ship traffic 24/7/365". Note that their website uses "ensure" rather than the weasel word "advise" which may be uttered in court some day.

I didn't find any updates to the story on the web and note that neither the CG or the press came out and quickly condemned either party as being de facto responsible so maybe it's not considered to be a slam dunk decision.