What are the duties and obligations of a Pilot?

 Marine pilots help in manoeuvring ships while arriving or

departing a port.
 The duty of the pilot is to direct the navigation of the ship
and ‘to conduct it’ so far as the course and speed of the
ship is concerned.

 The pilot only acts as the person who ‘advises’ the

captain on the courses and speeds. 'To conduct a
ship' must not be confused with 'being in command
of a ship'. The first expression refers to action, to a
personal service being employed while the second
one refers to a power.
 The Master remains in command of the vessel's
navigation at all times with only one exception: when
transiting through the Panama Canal. Therefore, it is
always the duty of the Master and OOW to keep a
situational awareness of all activities of the pilot.
 The pilot must liaise with the VTS, organize the use of
tugs and advise on the use of moorings and towing
lines.
 The pilot being a local person must ensure that he is
familiar with the local waters and thereby be able to
guide the ship appropriately. The role of the pilot
increases even further when the ship is of a greater size
since they are quite heavy and difficult to manoeuvre.
 Pilot must ensure that the ship is safely navigated and
brought alongside during arrival and safely
unberthed and taken to clear waters during
departure. They also have a duty towards protecting
marine environment.
 Apart from very good local knowledge, pilots must have
good knowledge of ship handling and bridge resource
management. They must know the manoeuvring
characteristics and other relevant details of the ship
when carrying out the Master-Pilot information
 exchange.
 The pilot must work professionally alongside the
master and officers to make up an efficient and safe
Bridge Team. He must ensure proper and effective
communication with the Bridge Team. A common
language understood by all must be used, usually
English. Any miscommunication could lead to large
scale disaster.
 If the pilot is to command tugs and/or personnel at a
berth in a language that is foreign to the crew, the
Master must demand that the pilot communicates
with the Master and/or OOW in a common language.