Order a Pilot

From the Puget Sound Pilots:

COVID-19 Sanitation Guidance for Ordering a Pilot In order to mitigate the threat of transmission of COVID-19 to the Puget Sound maritime community, the Puget Sound Pilots respectfully request vessel operators take the following measures during their vessel’s transit to Puget Sound, prior to the pilot boarding, and also during the vessel’s transit within Puget Sound with a pilot aboard.

Bridge Sanitation Precautions

• In the hour prior to the pilot boarding, wipe down the entire bridge with a 5% solution of bleach water (including the chart table, instruments, chairs, helm, entire console, hand rails, windows, etc.)
• Cool and dry conditions should be maintained on the bridge. Avoid hot and humid conditions which may enable a virus to stay alive on surfaces.
• Maintain a supply of hand sanitizer on the bridge.
• All coffee cups and utensils on bridge should be washed thoroughly.

Bridge Personnel Sanitary Precautions

• Please only allow essential personnel in the wheelhouse while a pilot is onboard.
• All ships’ crew members please attempt to maintain 6 feet (2M) of physical distancing per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s recommendations.
• Any crew member entering the bridge should wear a mask at all times while on the bridge, thoroughly wash their hands prior to entering the bridge, and sanitize their hands again immediately upon entering.
• Members of the bridge team should sanitize their hands immediately after touching their face at all.
• Pilots should bring their own coffee cups and not use the ship’s.
• Pilots may make awareness of the above COVID-19 sanitation conditions part of the Master/Pilot Exchange.

If the helmsman or ship’s officers see the pilot fail to comply with the above conditions, then they should speak up and remind the pilot to comply.

Thank you for taking the precautions we have requested.

Respectfully,

Capt. Eric vonBrandenfels

President, Puget Sound Pilots

October 30, 2020

Click here to download the latest COVID-19 Coronavirus Risk Management Plan 10-30-2020. File size 8.8 MB

All orders for pilots shall be made directly with dispatchers via telephone, (206) 448-4455, in our Seattle office between the hours of 0800 and 1700 daily, with the hours of lead time for the individual ports, as provided below. If the hours of lead time required for an assignment cannot be properly applied between the hours of 0800 and 1700, then arrangements for that assignment must be made before 1700 on the day prior. Except in the most unusual of circumstances, orders for pilots will not be accepted after 1700. Forgetting to order a pilot will not be considered an unusual circumstance.

EFFECTIVE 01/29/2024: Please use the Pilot Order Form – Order of Information to provide all necessary information to dispatch when ordering a Pilot.

Port Angeles: The original request for a pilot at Port Angeles, for either inbound or outbound vessels, shall be made not later than 24 hours prior to the vessel’s arrival/departure at Port Angeles and shall be made between the hours of 0800 and 1700. For an ETA/ETD delay greater than 2 hours and less than 6 hours, notice is required at least 6 hours in advance to avoid additional charges. For a delay of 6 hours or more or a cancellation, notice is required at least 12 hours in advance to avoid additional charges. Vessels arriving or departing earlier than their scheduled ETA/ETD at Port Angeles must give 24 hour notice to assure that a pilot is available. In addition to charges specified in the applicable tariff, vessels arriving/departing Port Angeles outside the above parameters may expect delays until a pilot becomes available.

Seattle, Point Wells, Edmonds, or Eagle Harbor: The request for a pilot at the above ports shall be made at least 4 hours prior to the pilot being required aboard.

Tacoma, Olympia, Everett, Manchester, Bremerton, Bangor, Port Gamble, DuPont, Port Townsend, or Mukilteo: The request for a pilot at the above ports shall be made at least 5 hours prior to the pilot being required aboard.

Anacortes, March Point, Bellingham, Ferndale, or Cherry Point: The request for a pilot at the above ports shall be made at least 6 hours prior to the pilot being required aboard.

Canadian Ports of Vancouver, New Westminster, or Ports in the Greater Vancouver Area: The request for a pilot at the above Canadian ports shall be made at least 10 hours prior to the pilot being required aboard.

All other Canadian Ports: The request for a pilot at all other Canadian ports shall be made at least 24 hours prior to the pilot being required aboard.

The arranging of a tentative request for a pilot, to be firmed by the requestor at a later time, is encouraged so that overall needs for pilots may be anticipated. However, tentative requests will not be accepted for either inbound or outbound vessels at Port Angeles. Also, it is the policy of the Puget Sound Pilots to not dispatch a pilot to a tentative assignment. A tentative request for a pilot must be made firm by the requestor prior to the time of pilot dispatch or the dispatch will not be made. All assignments held as tentative and not made firm between the hours of 0800 and 1700, and prior to normal dispatch times as indicated above, will not have a pilot dispatched to them.

Except for Canadian Ports, when an order for a pilot has been placed prior to 1700 for an assignment scheduled to commence between the hours of 2200 that evening and 1400 the following day, one (1) change to a later assignment time without penalty will be permitted; provided that the change is made at least 5 hours prior to the original time of assignment. An assignment ordered between the hours of 0800 and 1700 and scheduled to commence between the hours of 1300 and 2200 the same day will be permitted one (1) change to a later assignment time without penalty; provided that the change is made at least 5 hours prior to the original time of assignment.

For a vessel arriving/departing Port Angeles or arriving inbound to the Port Angeles Pilot Station, cancellation must be made at least 12 hours prior to the original time of assignment to avoid cancellation charges.

Except for Port Angeles Pilot Station inbound assignments and Canadian assignments, cancellation of an assignment must be made at least 5 hours prior to the original time of assignment to avoid cancellation charges.

Delay Charges

A vessel arriving Port Angeles and requesting a pilot more than 1 hour after the scheduled arrival time shall be assessed a delay charge.

In the event the vessel does not sail, from any port, within 1 hour of the time the pilot was requested to be aboard the vessel, standby charges will commence from the original time the pilot was to be aboard.

When a pilot is required to stay aboard a vessel and is not actually engaged in the duties of piloting, he shall be provided a clean, habitable room and clean sanitary facilities, at least comparable to the accommodations of the vessel’s officer personnel. If such facilities cannot be provided, the pilot will not be kept aboard the vessel. If a pilot is kept aboard under any circumstances against his will, appropriate delay charges will be assessed.

Change of Pilot Assignment Time

Except for Canadian Ports, when an order for a pilot has been placed prior to 1700 for an assignment scheduled to commence between the hours of 2200 that evening and 1400 the following day, one (1) change to a later assignment time without penalty will be permitted; provided that the change is made at least 5 hours prior to the original time of assignment. An assignment ordered between the hours of 0800 and 1700 and scheduled to commence between the hours of 1300 and 2200 the same day will be permitted one (1) change to a later assignment time without penalty; provided that the change is made at least 5 hours prior to the original time of assignment.

Cancellation of Pilot Assignment

For a vessel arriving/departing Port Angeles or arriving inbound to the Port Angeles Pilot Station, cancellation must be made at least 12 hours prior to the original time of assignment to avoid cancellation charges. Except for Port Angeles Pilot Station inbound assignments and Canadian assignments, cancellation of an assignment must be made at least 5 hours prior to the original time of assignment to avoid cancellation charges.

Standby Charges

A vessel arriving Port Angeles and requesting a pilot at a time more than 2 hours from the scheduled time, or the scheduled time as amended, shall be assessed a standby charge.

In the event the vessel does not sail, from any port, within 1 hour of the time the pilot was requested to be aboard the vessel, standby charges will commence from the original time the pilot was to be aboard.

When a pilot is required to stay aboard a vessel and is not actually engaged in the duties of piloting, he shall be provided a clean, habitable room and clean sanitary facilities, at least comparable to the accommodations of the vessel’s officer personnel. If such facilities cannot be provided, the pilot will not be kept aboard the vessel. If a pilot is kept aboard under any circumstances against his will, appropriate standby charges will be assessed.

Slowdown Charges

When a vessel chooses not to maintain its normal speed capabilities for reasons determined by the vessel and not the pilot, and when the difference in arrival time is 1 hour or greater from the predicted arrival time had the vessel maintained its normal speed, an hourly slowdown charge for the difference in arrival time will be assessed.

Use of Pilot Ladders

(1.) Using VHF-FM channel 13 contact Port Angeles Pilot Station 1 hour prior to arrival for the desired lee. The ladder is to be rigged without manropes 1 meter (3 feet) from the water. A heaving line should be ready for the pilot’s bag.

(2.) The ladder must be in good condition, kept clean, and used solely for embarking and disembarking pilots.

(3.) Rigging of the ladder, along with embarking and disembarking pilots, must be under the supervision of a licensed officer.

(4.) The ladder must be made in one length and not consist of two lengths shackled or lashed together and should be equipped with spreaders about 10 feet apart to comply with SOLAS Regulation 23, Chapter 5.

(5.) The pilot boats have their own lights to illuminate the pilot ladder, but a standby light should be ready in the event of an emergency.

(6.) The area of the deck where the pilot boards and leaves must be well lighted and clear of all obstacles to ensure a safe passage for the pilot.

(7.) No tag lines, pull-up ropes, or trailing lines may be attached to the lower ends of the ladder.

(8.) Ladders must be rigged well clear of discharge and water outlets and at a place near midship which affords the best lee for the pilot. At no time should the ladder be rigged near the stern of the vessel.

(9.) Means must be provided to allow the pilot to pass safely onto the ship’s deck. Where portable stanchions and bulwark steps are used for this, the portable stanchions must be rigidly attached to the ship’s structure and not the steps. The bulwark steps must also be securely fastened.

(10.) The treads must remain horizontal when used and the upper surface must have a rough non-skid quality.

(11.) A heaving line and ring buoy with a self-igniting light must be provided. If manropes are required by the pilot, they are to be manila, 3” in circumference without knots.

(12.) If your vessel is to take a load of logs, arrangements should be made to have a catwalk to provide safe passage to and from the ladder.

Use of Accommodation Ladders

(1.) All vessels where the distance from sea level to the point of access of the ship exceeds 9 meters (30 feet) at any time should carry an accommodation ladder on each side.

(2.) The ladder is to be so sited that, when in use, the lower end of the ladder shall rest firmly against the ship’s side under all conditions of roll and heel, clear of all discharges, and within the parallel length of the ship.

(3.) A conventional pilot ladder should be rigged just abaft the lower platform of the accommodation ladder. The pilot ladder should be secured firmly to the lower platform to allow access between the pilot ladder and accommodation ladder. The pilot ladder should extend at least 2 meters (6 feet) above the accommodation ladder’s lower platform.

(4.) Manropes are to be provided and rigged alongside the pilot ladder.

Rigging of Pilot Ladders

The illustrations provided on the following pages show the mandatory requirements for arranging pilot ladders. These are in compliance with SOLAS Regulations, IMO Requirements and conform to recommendations of the International Maritime Pilots’ Association.