EUROPILOTS
The Association of Licensed Deep Sea Pilot s

Assisting Shipowners and Masters in North European Waters for over 50 years

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Extract from The Donaldson Report entitled "Safer Ships Cleaner Seas".
[Page 183 Compulsory Deep Sea Pilotage - Section 13.66]

'It has also been suggested that Deep Sea Pilotage should become compulsory in some areas, in order to raise standards of navigation. We [The Donaldson Enquiry] do not believe that this is realistic. It would remove the discretion of the Master who may well know the route in question as well as, or better than, the Pilot. We know of no reason to suppose that the problems of poor navigation only apply to more than a small minority of merchant shipping, and it would be unreasonable to impose a substantial and unnecessary financial burden on the virtuous majority.* Even worse, compulsory deep sea pilotage would in some cases increase the risks. Except where pilots can be safely embarked or disembarked by helicopter, vessels would need to come close to shore for the purpose, increasing the risks of grounding and of collisions**such as that of the British Trent***, described in appendix L. That would also involve crossing the line of traffic, risking collisions and would increase the risks of bunching'.

Europilots comments:-

*One major container ship operator has estimated that the cost of taking Deep Sea Pilots to enhance the safety of their vessels represents one half of one percent of their operating costs whilst in North European Waters.

**The normal Deep Sea Pilot boarding and landing stations off Brixham and Cherbourg are open roadsteads with deep water where increased traffic could easily be properly regulated. At the moment it is rare for more than two vessels arrive at these pilot stations at the same time. The area where the British Trent tragedy occurred is an extremely congested District Pilot boarding and landing station handling a large number of vessels every hour of the day and night. This area is also very narrow with shoal patches on both sides.

***The collision between the British Trent and the Western Winner happened when neither of the vessels had a Deep Sea Pilot on board. The Master of the tanker British Trent had good experience of North European Waters whereas the Master of the bulk carrier Western Winner admitted that he was confused by the large number of targets on his radar screen. It is Europilots opinion that had the Master of the Western Winner employed a Deep Sea Pilot for that leg of his voyage, at an estimated total cost of some GBP.200, the collision involving pollution and tragic loss of life would not have occurred.

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