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SCA Pilotage · Founded 1956 · Ismailia, Egypt · Egypt
The Suez Canal Authority pilotage service is the compulsory pilotage arrangement for all transits of the Suez Canal. Unlike most other pilotage services worldwide, SCA pilots are direct employees of the Egyptian state (Suez Canal Authority) rather than members of an independent professional association — a structure inherited from the 1956 nationalisation of the Canal. ~400 SCA pilots handle all northbound and southbound Suez transits from Port Said (Mediterranean) or Suez (Red Sea) pilot stations. The SCA operates a convoy system rather than continuous two-way transit: northbound and southbound convoys are scheduled to meet at the Great Bitter Lake and Al-Ballah passing zones. Vessels reserve transit slots through the SCA Vessel Traffic Management System. Notable in the recent public consciousness: the 2021 Ever Given grounding brought the SCA pilotage arrangements under intense scrutiny, particularly the investigation's finding that SCA pilots on the Ever Given transit had communicated in Arabic rather than English at key moments (the pilot-master language protocol has since been reinforced). SCA transit fees are among the highest single per-vessel charges in international shipping — a mid-size container vessel pays $300,000-$700,000 per transit.
Via Suez Canal Authority (SCA) — https://www.suezcanal.gov.eg.