A sharing of regulatory authority over pilots, piloting, and pilotage(2) between state and federal governments has led to the development of two basic classes of pilots and two general categories of pilot licenses in the U.S.(3) Because of this division, state and federal pilots are in competition in some ports,(4) and gaps in the regulatory system exist in some areas where the requirements for pilotage have not been well defined.(5)
This research addresses several dimensions of pilot regulation: (1) the establishment of standards for entry into the piloting profession, (2) the licensing and certification of pilots, (3) performance monitoring of pilots and disciplinary action against pilots who violate rules and regulations, and (4) the setting of pilotage rates and the regulation of competition among pilots.
The hazards associated with ship accidents in harbor areas were demonstrated as long ago as 1917, when two merchant vessels carrying dangerous cargoes collided in the port of Halifax, Nova Scotia--an accident that resulted in the loss of some 1,600 lives and the ruin of the entire city.(8) More recently, in a disaster that focused public attention on the consequences of task failure in merchant vessel piloting, the crude carrier Exxon Valdez ran aground in pristine Prince William Sound, Alaska, causing an oil spill of catastrophic proportions.
It is widely agreed that the vast majority of marine casualties are the result of human error.(9) The percentage of accidents attributable to this factor has been estimated to be as high as 85 percent.(10) Probably because of the dominant role of judgment in piloting,(11) and the greater hazards associated with inshore navigation, human-error casualties appear to be more frequent in that context than in offshore environments.
On the state level, the Florida Statutes related to pilots, piloting, and pilotage were examined, as were the rules and regulations formulated by the Board of Pilot Commissioners to implement that legislation.
The essence of these requirements can be described as two years' sea service, piloting service, or towing experience within the five years immediately preceding the examination, while holding a U.S.