Extended Operational and Trade Vocabulary

Marine Pilotage and Pilot Operations glossary (page 2)

The pilotage vocabulary: the IMO Assembly resolutions recommending deep-sea pilotage in specific waters (the North Sea, the Baltic approaches, Torres Strait), apprentice-pilot training, and the pilot-transfer and bridge-team terms. Grounds each term in the IMO pilotage recommendation or the pilot operation it belongs to.

363 defined terms.

Showing 113 on this page (page 2 of 2).

P

Pilot mark: White painted line on the ship's side denoting the SWL at the pilot embarkation area.
Pilot of the watch: Pilot on duty during a watch rotation at a station.
Pilot order: Helm or engine order issued through the master or OOW by the pilot acting as advisor.
Pilot ordering: Procedure for requesting a pilot, normally by ETA-based booking through agent.
Pilot point: Recommended pilot boarding location on coastal navigation charts.
Pilot pool: Roster of available pilots at a station.
Pilot port: Port where pilotage is provided.
Pilot recovery: Disembarkation of the pilot at the outbound station.
Pilot relief: Hand-over of pilotage between pilots mid-transit on long passages.
Pilot Service Provider: Generic term for organizations supplying pilotage under contract or statute.
Pilot signal: Flag H or radio call indicating a pilot is on board or required.
Pilot station: designated boarding area at sea.
Pilot station VHF: Designated VHF channel for pilot station communications, varies by port.
Pilot Transfer Arrangements: Required under SOLAS V/23.
Pilot Transfer Equipment: Term used in MSC.1/Circ.1428 for the totality of pilot boarding gear.
Pilot vessel: Small craft for pilot transfer.
Pilot's bag: Personal bag containing portable pilotage unit, charts, and documents, retrieved by heaving line.
Pilot's lifejacket: Inflatable lifejacket worn by pilots during transfer.
Pilot's PPU: Portable Pilot Unit, the pilot's laptop-based ECDIS plus DGPS unit.
Pilotage: Conduct of vessel by a licensed pilot.
Pilotage Act 1987: UK statute restructuring British pilotage and creating Competent Harbour Authorities, abolishing Trinity House pilotage districts in 1988.
Pilotage authority: Statutory or harbor body administering pilotage services in a defined area.
Pilotage charge: Generic term for pilot fees and dues.
Pilotage District: Statutorily defined area of compulsory pilotage.
Pilotage Exemption Certificate: Certificate enabling the master or chief mate to pilot a specific ship or class without engaging a pilot.
Pilotage frequency requirement: PEC qualifying threshold, typically 12 transits in 12 months, varies by jurisdiction.
Pilotage license: License issued by a pilotage authority to a qualified pilot for a defined area.
Pilotage limits: Geographic boundaries of a pilotage area.
Pilotage tariff: Schedule of pilotage charges set by the authority.
Pilotage waters: Waters in which pilotage services are available.
PoB: Persons on Board, helicopter occupant count reported before each flight.
Port pilot: Pilot whose license covers a single port.
Port pilot dues: Pilotage charges levied by a port authority.
PPU: Portable Pilot Unit, the pilot's portable electronic navigation system.
PPU dongle: AIS pilot plug interface to obtain ship dynamic data for the PPU.
Pre-arrival information: PAI required by the FAL Convention.
Probationary pilot: Newly licensed pilot subject to operational supervision.
Puget Sound Pilots: Washington state pilots' association covering Puget Sound and approaches.

Q

Quay pilot: Local pilot working only inside a single basin.
Queensland Coastal Pilotage: AMSA-administered coastal pilotage on the Great Barrier Reef.

R

Radar conspicuous pilot boat: Radar reflector or active radar target on the pilot launch for visibility.
Recommended pilotage: Pilotage not compulsory but recommended for safety, for example IMO A.620(15) for the Baltic.
Refresher training: STCW Regulation I/11 update training required at intervals of not more than 5 years for PSCRB, FRB, AFF, and MFA.
Refusal to sail: Pilot's prerogative to decline pilotage if the ship is unseaworthy for the planned voyage.
Retainer fee: Pilotage charge for keeping a pilot at notice but not used.
Retrieval line: Light line attached to the lower spreader step of a pilot ladder to recover the ladder, optional under SOLAS V/23 and not to interfere with the ladder.
Rhine Pilot: River pilot operating on the Rhine inland waterway.
Right of refusal: Master's right to refuse the pilot's advice when he considers it dangerous.
River Pilot: Pilot for inland waterways such as the Elbe or Mississippi.
Roster system: Sequential dispatch of pilots from a station list.
Rotterdam Pilots: Loodswezen Region Rotterdam-Rijnmond, Dutch pilots serving Europoort and Rotterdam.
Rough weather boarding: Pilot transfer in adverse conditions, with helicopter as alternative.

S

Sabine Pilots: Texas state pilots' association handling Sabine Pass to Beaumont and Port Arthur.
Safe access: SOLAS-required means of boarding the vessel.
Saint Lawrence River Pilots: Pilots licensed under the Laurentian Pilotage Authority of Canada.
San Francisco Bar Pilots: California state pilots' association for the entrance to San Francisco Bay.
Sandy Hook Pilots: New York and New Jersey state-licensed pilots for the Port of New York and New Jersey via Sandy Hook.
SCA: Suez Canal Authority operating compulsory pilotage through the Suez Canal.
SCA pilot: Egyptian pilot of the Suez Canal Authority.
Sea pilot: pilot guiding vessel from sea pilot station to entrance.
Sea pilotage: Pilotage in open coastal waters as distinct from harbor pilotage.
Second pilot: Junior pilot in a two-pilot operation.
Self-igniting light: Battery-powered light attached to a lifebuoy at the pilot transfer station.
Ship handling pilot: Pilot specializing in close-quarter maneuvering and berthing.
Shore-based pilotage: Land-based remote pilotage support, used in some Dutch and Norwegian waters.
Side ladder: General term covering accommodation and pilot ladders rigged over the ship's side.
Side ropes: Two long ropes forming the sides of the pilot ladder, 18 mm manila minimum under SOLAS V/23.
Signal letter H: International Code of Signals letter "Hotel" meaning "I have a pilot on board".
Singapore Pilot: MPA Singapore pilot for the Port of Singapore.
Singapore Strait: Eastward extension of the Malacca chokepoint.
Skagerrak Pilot Service: Deep-sea pilot service for transits between the North Sea and Baltic via the Skagerrak.
SMPA: Singapore Maritime Pilots' Association.
SOLAS V/14: Convention regulation governing helicopter facilities on ships.
SOLAS V/19: Carriage requirements for navigational equipment.
SOLAS V/23: Regulation on pilot transfer arrangements, revised by MSC.308(88) and in force 1 July 2012.
Spotter: ground guide for equipment movements.
Spreader step: Wider step of the pilot ladder preventing twist, minimum 1.8 m at intervals not exceeding 9 steps.
Stand-by pilot: Pilot on call but not yet assigned to a job.
State pilot: US pilot licensed by a state authority for piloting foreign-flag and US-flag foreign-trade vessels.
Step dimensions: Pilot ladder step minimum 480 mm x 115 mm x 25 mm in hardwood under SOLAS V/23.
Step spacing: Pilot ladder steps equally spaced 300 to 380 mm apart under SOLAS V/23.
Suez Canal Authority: Egyptian authority operating compulsory pilotage through the Suez Canal.
Suez Canal pilotage: Compulsory pilotage by SCA pilots from Port Said to Suez.
Surveyor pilot: Pilot inspecting the pilot transfer arrangement under PSC or flag State delegation.
SWATH: Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull pilot vessel design used at exposed pilot stations.
Sydney Pilots: Port Authority of NSW pilots covering Sydney Harbour.

T

Tampa Bay Pilots: Florida state pilots' association covering Tampa Bay.
Tanker pilot: Pilot endorsed for crude oil and chemical carriers.
Tariff: Carrier's published rates and charges; also customs duty schedule.
Texas State Pilots: Generic term for the Texas state-licensed pilots' groups including Houston, Galveston, Brazos, Aransas, and Sabine.
Tide Window: Daily period of suitable tide level for refloating or wreck lift operations.
Torres Strait pilot: AMSA-licensed pilot for compulsory pilotage of Torres Strait since 6 October 2006.
Trapdoor: Hinged opening in an accommodation ladder lower platform through which a pilot ladder is rigged in combination arrangement.
Trinity House: General Lighthouse Authority and deep-sea pilotage body, chartered 1514.
Trinity House Channel Pilots: Deep-sea pilots licensed by Trinity House for the English Channel.
Two-pilot operation: Pilotage with two pilots aboard, for long transits or large vessels.

U

Under pilotage: Status of a vessel from pilot embarkation to pilot disembarkation.
Under-keel clearance: UKC, key safety margin verified during pilotage of deep-draft vessels.
Unsafe ladder: Pilot ladder not complying with SOLAS V/23, grounds for the pilot to refuse boarding.
USCG Federal Pilot endorsement: Endorsement on USCG license enabling pilotage of US-flag vessels in coastwise trade.

V

Vancouver Pilots: Pacific Pilotage Authority pilots covering Vancouver and the BC coast.
VHF Channel: Designated voice channel for pilot station, varies by port.
Virginia Pilots: Virginia State Pilots' Association covering Chesapeake Bay approaches and Hampton Roads.

W

Watch pilot: Pilot rostered for a watch as distinct from on-call status.
Wheelhouse poster: SOLAS Chapter V manoeuvring information.
White line: Pilot mark painted on the ship's side at SWL each side denoting pilot embarkation area.
White-over-red lights: Identification lights of a pilot vessel on duty under COLREG Rule 29.
Wind shadow: Lee created by the ship's hull during pilot boarding.
Working language: SOLAS V/14 requirement, often verified in PSC under code 10.

X

X-class pilot license: Authority-specific top tier endorsement for largest vessels, terminology varies by jurisdiction.

Y

Yokohama Pilots: Japanese pilots' association covering Tokyo Bay and Yokohama.

Z

Zeebrugge Pilots: Belgian pilots of NLBV-Brabo and Loodswezen Vlaanderen serving Zeebrugge.
Zone pilotage: Pilotage organized by geographic zone within a larger pilotage authority.