A legal requirement in certain ports or waterways that a licensed pilot must be employed to navigate a vessel through that area.
In practice
The rationale for mandatory pilotage is the protection of port infrastructure, the marine environment, and public safety in high-traffic or geographically hazardous areas. Pilotage exemption certificates (PECs) are granted in some jurisdictions to masters or officers who can demonstrate sufficient local knowledge, typically through examination and regular voyages in the area, allowing them to navigate without a pilot but still in compliance with pilotage law. Vessels transiting areas such as the Suez Canal, Panama Canal, Torres Strait, and the Great Belt are required by treaty or national law to embark authorised pilots for the passage. The master must plan the approach to mandatory pilotage waters carefully to ensure the pilot boarding point is reached at the correct time.
Regulatory detail & full definition
Mandatory pilotage is a legal requirement, established by national legislation or port authority regulation, that a licensed pilot must be employed aboard a vessel navigating through a defined area — typically a port approach channel, harbour, canal, or environmentally sensitive strait. The requirement applies regardless of the master's own local experience or the vessel's routing history. Violations of mandatory pilotage requirements typically attract significant financial penalties and may result in detention by port state control or legal action by the coastal state.
The rationale for mandatory pilotage is the protection of port infrastructure, the marine environment, and public safety in high-traffic or geographically hazardous areas. Pilotage exemption certificates (PECs) are granted in some jurisdictions to masters or officers who can demonstrate sufficient local knowledge, typically through examination and regular voyages in the area, allowing them to navigate without a pilot but still in compliance with pilotage law. Vessels transiting areas such as the Suez Canal, Panama Canal, Torres Strait, and the Great Belt are required by treaty or national law to embark authorised pilots for the passage. The master must plan the approach to mandatory pilotage waters carefully to ensure the pilot boarding point is reached at the correct time.