American Pilots' Association
APA · Founded 1884 · Washington, D.C., United States · United States
- Membership scope
- ~1,200 US state-licensed pilots across ~65 US pilotage districts + federal pilots on the Great Lakes.
- Framework
- Per-state pilotage tariffs set by state pilotage boards
- Website
- www.americanpilots.org
Role
The American Pilots' Association was founded 1884 (originally the National Association of Pilots) and today represents ~1,200 US state-licensed pilots across ~65 US pilotage districts. US pilotage has a unique structure among developed nations: state pilotage boards issue and renew pilot licences under state law, while federal Coast Guard oversight covers only Great Lakes pilotage (governed by the 46 USC Chapter 93 framework) and certain specialty situations. APA's central policy work covers state-pilotage-board rulemaking (particularly on pilot fees, which are set by state boards under charter tariffs), Congressional hearings on pilotage-related legislation, and Coast Guard consultation on Great Lakes pilotage-tariff reviews. Notable US state pilotage districts include Port of New York/New Jersey (Sandy Hook Pilots + State of NJ Pilots), Chesapeake Bay (Maryland Pilots + Virginia Pilot Association), Port of Los Angeles/Long Beach (Jacobsen Pilot Service), Puget Sound Pilots (Seattle/Tacoma), Delaware River (Pilots' Association for the Bay and River Delaware), and Port of Houston (Houston Pilots). Each district operates under state law; visiting seafarers should expect a distinct pilotage tariff and set of state-specific safety-management requirements at each port.
Contact
https://www.americanpilots.org/contact — Washington HQ + per-district state pilots' associations.