PILOTAGE DIRECTIONS
Gloucester Harbour Trustees,
as the Competent Harbour Authority for the
1.
Pilotage shall be
compulsory within the area described in paragraph 2 below for all vessels
except:
i) those whose deadweight tonnage is less than 100 tonnes or
whose notional superficial area calculated by multiplying the overall length in
metres by extreme breadth in metres is less than 200 m2 and, in
either case:
a) not carrying dangerous or polluting
goods as specified in Statutory Instrument 1987 No. 37 The Dangerous Substances
in Harbour Areas Regulations 1987 and Statutory Instrument 1995 No 2498 The
Merchant Shipping (Reporting Requirements for Ships Carrying Dangerous or
Polluting Goods) Regulations 1995 or,
b)
not carrying more than 12 passengers
ii) a tug
responding to an emergency call from either a vessel being piloted by an
authorised pilot or a vessel under the command of the holder of a pilotage exemption certificate.
Note: In the case of towed vessels the greater of
the sum of the deadweight tonnage or notional superficial areas of the towing
and towed vessels shall determine whether or not the criteria for compulsory pilotage are met.
2.
The area to which compulsory pilotage applies is that of the Gloucester Harbour as
currently defined in Article 11 of the Gloucester Harbour Revision (Constitution)
Order 2002 and includes its approaches.
3.
All vessels subject to compulsory pilotage shall, when entering or leaving the harbour
approaches, board or land their pilot in the vicinity of Breaksea
Light Float (51°
20' N, 3° 19' W) (Chart BA1152) or at such other location as may be notified to
meet operational requirements.
4.
Orders for the provision of pilotage services to any vessel are to be made in such
manner as may from time to time be directed by the Trustees and promulgated by
an appropriate Notice to Mariners (Appendix 1).
5.
The Duty Harbour Master may require that on
the advice of the authorised pilot intending to provide pilotage
to a vessel subject to compulsory pilotage the authorised
pilot shall be accompanied by an assistant who is also an authorised
pilot. An illustration of the type of
criteria which may be taken into account by the authorised pilot and Duty
Harbour Master are set out in Appendix 2.
6.
The Master of any vessel subject to
compulsory pilotage or any vessel requesting pilotage services will be required in compliance with
Section 18 of the Pilotage Act 1987 to provide
details of the ship’s dimensions and all other information relevant to the ship
and its cargo which may affect passage through the compulsory area.
In particular,
the Master must inform the pilot of any defect in or any matter peculiar to the
ship and its machinery and equipment which might materially affect the
navigation of the ship.
7. Training and Licensing procedures for Pilots are set out in
Schedule 1 and Appendix 3 to these
Directions.
8. Pilotage Exemption Certificates may be applied for in
accordance with the provisions of Section 8 of the Pilotage
Act 1987 and Schedule 2 to these Directions.
9. Pursuant to
Section 7 (3) of the Pilotage Act 1987 these Directions
shall not apply to ships of less than 20 metres in length or to fishing boats
of which the registered length is less than 47.5 metres.
10. In the
interpretation of these Directions and the Schedules and Appendices hereto the
masculine shall include the feminine and vice versa.
Dated this 18th day of September
2003
Susan J Oakley
Clerk to GHT
Navigation House
The Docks
Sharpness
GL13 9UD
SCHEDULE
1
TRAINING AND LICENSING OF PILOTS
Presently under review
SCHEDULE
2
Pilotage Exemption Certificates
Pilotage Exemption
Certificates are available for the Harbour in two categories:-
CLASS A - for
all vessels not exceeding 3000 dwt and 80m length
overall and
(i)
not engaged in mineral extraction work
wholly within such areas of the Harbour as are determined by the Trustees,
(ii)
not carrying dangerous or polluting goods,
and
(iii)
not carrying more than 12 passengers
CLASS B - for vessels not
exceeding 3000 dwt and 80m length overall and
(i)
regularly engaged in sand, gravel or other
mineral extraction work wholly within such areas of the Harbour as are
determined by the Trustees
1
GENERAL
REGULATIONS RELATING TO ALL CLASSES OF PILOTAGE EXEMPTION CERTIFICATE
1.1
All applicants for the grant of a Pilotage Exemption Certificate will be required to attend
before an examination board who will determine whether or not a Certificate
will be granted. The following will be taken into account in considering an
application:
a)
the qualifications, experience, local
knowledge and fitness of the applicant,
b)
the age, type, condition and status of the
vessel in respect of which an exemption is sought,
and
c)
The ability of the applicant to
use pilotwatch portable radar equipment, if required
to do so.
1.2
Additionally, an applicant must demonstrate
that, during the twelve months immediately preceding his application for the
grant or renewal of a Certificate, he has made not less than 40 voyages as
defined below within the compulsory area as either Master or First Mate of a
vessel which was or would have been subject to compulsory pilotage. A minimum of 15 of these voyages must be
inward and a minimum of 15 outward, including both day
and night passages over both spring and neap tidal conditions.
1.3 A voyage shall be defined as a passage
throughout the whole length of that portion of the compulsory pilotage area for which the applicant wishes to obtain a Pilotage Exemption Certificate.
1.4 The Trustees may, in their absolute
discretion, vary the trippage requirements dependent
upon the type of vessel and cargo carried, and the candidate's ability to satisfy
the Trustees that he has adequate relevant local knowledge and experience.
1.5 On application for the grant of, or the
renewal of a Pilotage Exemption Certificate, the
Trustees will require the applicant or holder to produce a medical certificate
and may refuse to grant or renew the Pilotage
Exemption Certificate if it is found after examination by a doctor nominated by
the Trustees that the applicant or holder is suffering from any physical or
mental infirmity or defect which might interfere with the proper performance of
his duties and responsibilities as a Pilotage
Exemption Certificate holder.
1.6 Pilotage
Exemption Certificates will be granted up to and including the 31st
day of December next, but may be renewed annually to come into effect on the 1st
day of January subject to compliance with the appropriate regulations.
1.7 Fees will be charged to applicants for
the grant or renewal of Pilotage Exemption
Certificates in accordance with the current List of Charges, for one or more of
the following:-
a)
an examination (whether successful or not)
b)
the grant of a Certificate
c)
the renewal of a Certificate
d)
any alteration in,
or addition, to or for the issue of a duplicate Certificate in place of one
which may have been lost.
1.8 Every Pilotage
Exemption Certificate holder will, when navigating within any part of the
Harbour for which such a Certificate is granted, produce such Certificate on
demand for inspection by any Officer of the Trustees.
1.9 Pilotage
Exemption Certificate Holders will, subject to reasonable notice in writing
given under the hand of the Clerk, attend before the Trustees or any Committee
thereof.
1.10 All regulations and directions made for the
proper operation and administration of pilotage will,
so far as any of them are applicable, extend to all Certificate holders. In
particular a Certificate holder must not knowingly navigate a vessel within the
Harbour if there is any defect in the vessel, its machinery or equipment that
might materially affect safe navigation within the Harbour without the prior
consent of the Duty Harbour Master.
1.11 Failure by a Certificate holder to comply
with any regulations and directions as defined in 1.10 will result in the
immediate revocation of the Certificate.
2 CLASS A PILOTAGE
EXEMPTION CERTIFICATE
2.1 A Class A
Certificate will neither be granted nor renewed to any Master or First Mate who
does not hold and maintain a current Certificate of Competency issued by an
appropriate Authority which satisfies the requirements of the International Convention
on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping
1978 (STCW 78) as amended in 1995 (STCW 95) or any re-enactment or further
amendment thereof, and which is recognised by the Maritime and Coastguard
Agency as being appropriate to the class or type of vessel to be navigated.
Additionally, on examination all applicants will be
required to demonstrate, for navigational purposes, an adequate command of the
English language.
2.2
A Class A
Certificate will neither be granted nor renewed unless the holder can satisfy
the Trustees’ Duty Harbour Master that an adequate level of local knowledge and
experience in navigating merchant vessels or tugs within the compulsory area
has been maintained. The holder will be
required to provide the Duty Harbour Master with all relevant information to
substantiate the application, and may be called before the Duty Harbour Master
for interview.
2.3 (a) The holder of a Class A Certificate will
submit to the Gloucester Harbour Trustees a return each month detailing each
occasion on which a vessel was navigated within the Harbour under the
provisions of the Certificate.
(b)
For each occasion when such a vessel is
navigated by a Class A Certificate holder the owner of the vessel will pay to
the Trustees 5% of all pilotage charges which would
otherwise have been payable if an authorised pilot had been employed.
3 CLASS B PILOTAGE EXEMPTION CERTIFICATES
3.1 A Class B Certificate will only be granted to the Master,
First Mate or Person in charge of a vessel which is regularly employed in sand,
gravel or other mineral extraction work wholly within such areas of the Harbour
as are determined by the Trustees.
3.2 A Class B
Certificate will neither be granted nor renewed to any Master or First Mate who
does not hold and maintain a current Certificate of Competency issued by an
appropriate Authority which satisfies the requirements of the International
Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping
1978 (STCW 78) as amended in 1995 (STCW 95), or any re-enactment or further
amendment thereof, and which is recognised by the Maritime and Coastguard
Agency as being appropriate to the class or type of vessel to be navigated
within the area as described in 3.1 above.
3.3 A Class B
Certificate will not be renewed unless the holder can satisfy the Trustees’
Duty Harbour Master that an adequate level of local knowledge and experience in
navigating merchant vessels or tugs within the relevant Harbour areas has been
maintained. The holder will be required
to provide the Duty Harbour Master with all relevant information to
substantiate the application for renewal and may be called before the Duty
Harbour Master for interview.
3.4 (a) The holder of a Class B Certificate
shall submit to the Gloucester Harbour Trustees a return each month of the
vessel or vessels navigated by him within the Harbour and for which the
certificate was granted.
(b) On the first occasion each year that
such a vessel is navigated by a Class B Certificate holder the owner of the
vessel will pay to the Trustees all the pilotage
charges that would have been payable if an authorised pilot had been employed.
(c ) No further
charge will be levied on that vessel for subsequent trips in the same calendar
year.
APPENDIX 1
NOTICE TO MARINERS NO. 5/02
PILOTAGE ORDERS AND PROCEDURES EFFECTIVE FROM 1 MAY
2002
1.
OPERATIONAL CONSTRAINTS
The boarding of vessels
inwards takes place normally between the Breaksea
Light and Barry Roads between 6 to 4 hours before High Water at Sharpness by
the Bristol Pilot Cutter.
Subject to tidal
constraints the departure of vessels outwards from Sharpness takes place
normally between 2 hours before to 30 minutes after High Water at Sharpness.
Timings to and from
Chepstow and Lydney will be advised on request to the
Duty Pilot.
Information on Inter-port
movements between the
Factors such as ship
dimensions, draught in fresh water, speed and equipment condition combined with
tidal and weather conditions are critical to a safe and expeditious passage.
Full co-operation from ships' Agents, Masters and Owners is essential in
providing information on the vessel's status and in updating of ETAs and ETDS, otherwise delays and liability to additional
charges may be incurred.
2.
ORDERING OF PILOT SERVICES
Orders for pilotage are to be directed by Ships' Agents, Masters and
Owners to the Trustees' Duty Pilot.
·
Orders should be placed during the Duty
Watch which extends from 0900 to 1730 Monday to Friday inclusive and Saturday
0900 to 1200 (excepting Christmas Day) by telephone through 07774 226143 with a minimum of 24 hours notice of
ETA off the Breaksea Light for inward bound vessels,
and a minimum of 8 hours notice before high water at Sharpness for outward
bound vessels.
·
Orders for Pilots received outside the Duty
Watch hours, and in the case of orders received for inward bound vessels up to
10 hours before High Water Sharpness and up to 4 hours before High Water for
outward bound vessels, will be subject to the imposition of Late Booking Fees
as prescribed in the Trustees' current list of pilotage
charges.
·
At the time of ordering, the Duty Pilot will
require ETA or ETD of the vessel, SDWT, maximum draught in fresh water, speed
and all other information relevant to the navigational status of the vessel.
Additionally - operational air draught above the waterline will be required for
all vessels.
3.
INWARD BOUND VESSELS - ETA
Masters of vessels bound
for Chepstow, Lydney and Sharpness boarding a pilot
from the Barry Roads Station must give - either directly or via their Agent -
at least 24 hours confirmation of their ETA off the Breaksea
Light - latitude 51° 20'.85N longitude 3° 19'.00W - by telephone to the Duty
Pilot. Masters who
expect their passage time to be less than 24 hours must contact the Duty Pilot
by telephone immediately before sailing.
All Masters must confirm
directly to the Avonmouth Signal Station their ETA
off the Breaksea Light 6 hours beforehand by either:-
·
i) VHF radio to AVONMOUTH RADIO - Channel
12
·
ii) Telephone
to 0117 9822257
·
iii) FAX
message to 0117 9235320 clearly marked 'GLOUCESTER PILOT'.
Failure to comply with this
procedure will result in the pilot not being present at the Boarding and
Landing Station at the appropriate time with consequent delay to the vessel.
4.
OUTWARD BOUND VESSELS - ETD
Masters of
vessels outward bound from Sharpness and sailing before 1300 hours must agree,
either directly or through their Agent, their ETD with the Duty Pilot by
telephone before 1730 hours on the previous day. Where vessels are sailing
after 1300 hours ETD must be agreed with the Duty Pilot a minimum of 4 hours
beforehand. In both cases the agreed ETD must be confirmed by the Master
directly to the Sharpness Pierhead two and one half
hours beforehand.
ETD arrangements for
Chepstow and Lydney will be advised on request.
5.
BOARDING AND LANDING PILOTS
Pilots are normally boarded
and landed between the Breaksea Light and Barry Roads
by the Bristol Pilot Cutter which keeps a continuous listening watch on VHF
channel 16.
Masters bound inward should
make radio contact with the cutter at least one hour before their arrival off
the Breaksea Light using the call sign 'GLOUCESTER
PILOT' - instructions will then be given to the Master of the position and time
of boarding of the pilot.
6.
CANCELLATION AND POSTPONEMENT OF PILOT SERVICES
Ships' Agents, Masters or
Owners may cancel or amend an order for pilotage services
during the Duty Watch period without charge providing that notice is given at
least ten hours before High Water at Sharpness for inward bound vessels and for
outward bound vessels at least four hours before High Water Sharpness and at
least four hours before High Water Chepstow or Lydney.
Cancellation or postponement of an order for pilotage
services with less than the above notice or outside the Duty Watch period will
result in the imposition of Cancellation or Postponement Charges as prescribed
in the Trustees' current list of pilotage charges.
Notice to Mariners 2/99 is
cancelled with effect from
APPENDIX
2
TYPE OF CRITERIA TO BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT WHEN REACHING A
DECISION UNDER SECTION 5
i)
where the vessel is of 2500 dwt and over
ii)
where the vessel is of 13.75m (45 ft.) beam
and over
iii)
where the vessel is of 86.0m (282 ft.)
length overall and over
iv)
where the vessel’s
under-keel clearance on arrival off Sharpness Dock is not anticipated to be
more than the minimum clearance required by Sharpness Port Authority plus
0.25m.
v)
where the vessel’s main or auxiliary
machinery, control systems, navigational or communications equipment cannot be
stated by the Master to be free from defect and where such defect may adversely
affect the safety of the vessel during transit
vi)
where the vessel’s structure, equipment,
cargo or any obstruction can restrict the Pilot’s forward viewing or impair the
safe navigation of the vessel
vii)
where weather or tidal conditions are
adverse
viii)
where the vessel is carrying a hazardous,
toxic or potentially polluting cargo
ix)
where there is reason
to doubt that the bridge staff have a sufficient command of the English
language to be able to respond correctly and without delay to the Pilot’s
directions.
NB This list is not to be
regarded as covering all circumstances in which the engagement of an assistant
is necessary or desirable.
APPENDIX 3
EXAMINATION OF
CANDIDATES FOR PILOT EXEMPTION CERTIFICATES AND GENERAL AUTHORISATIONS
Candidates for Pilotage Exemption Certificates and General Authorisations
will be expected to demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of:
Details of the Pilotage Directions including
a) The area of jurisdiction
b) Vessels subject to compulsory pilotage
c) Pilot boarding and landing places
d) Knowledge of other vessels in the
district subject to pilotage
e) Appropriate Byelaws, Regulations and
directions for navigating in the Pilotage district
General
a) International Regulations for the
Prevention of Collisions at Sea 1972 as implemented by MS Regulations 1996
b) IALA Maritime Buoyage
System A – general principles and rules
c) Relevant Merchant Shipping Notices (MSNs) and Marine Guidance Notes (MGNs)
d) Dangerous Substances in Harbour Areas
Regulations 1987 and their application to the vessel
e) Characteristics, limitations and
restrictions of other vessels requiring special considerations
Local Knowledge
a) The limits of the Pilotage
district
b) Docking signals, details of the
measurements of lock and tidal basin and required sill/underkeel clearances
c) The names and characteristics of
lights, their ranges and arcs of visibility and what they mark
d) The names and characteristics of
transits, leading lights and clearing marks
e) The names and characteristics and
buoys, beacons and other seamarks; what they mark and, where they mark the edge of the fairway, their distances apart
f) The courses and distances along the
various reaches of the channels and fairways
g) The names of the various reaches of the
River Severn and where the best water lies
h) Depth of water over rocks, shoals and
other dangers, together with depths in the vicinity of buoys or other seamarks
i) The range and duration of the tide at Springs and Neaps, chart datums in
the approaches and in the River Severn,
the use of tide tables to predict the height of tide
j) The set and rate of tidal streams at Springs and Neaps in and close to the channel or fairway
k) Availability of tugs and their uses
l) Availability of rescue facilities in
the area (ie lifeboats, their location and call-out procedures)
m) Prohibited and restricted areas
n) Local Notices to Mariners
o) The variation of the compass in the
area; leading lines and clearing marks
and bearings by day and night and
their purpose; visual and radar prominent marks; the use and accuracy of radio position fixing aids in the area;
fog signals and radio and radar aids to navigation in the area
p) Conduct of vessels in fog or restricted
visibility
q) Frequencies and times in use for
Coastguard local weather forecasts and navigation warnings etc
r) Anchorages, their names, use and the
nature and quality of the holding ground
s) Prohibited anchorages and other
restricted areas
t) The conduct of the Vessel Traffic
Service at Avonmouth Signal Station, frequencies
used, way point and other reports
required
u) Communication with Sharpness Radio,
frequencies used, reporting points used
v) Ship handling manoeuvres to enter and
clear the lock and basin at Sharpness or to berth or unberth alongside the piers
w) The general pattern of traffic movement
in the district, especially vessels carrying dangerous substances and vessels engaged in dredging operations
x) Conduct of low water channel
inspections/surveys with an authorised Pilot
y) Production of a passage planning
booklet prior to examination
z) A knowledge of locations at
which a passage may safely be aborted.
Further training
and appraisal will be required for specific areas of the district (eg Chepstow and Lydney) and for
vessels requiring tug assistance, including local procedures and communications
and matters of tug safety.
A board
representing the following will normally carry out the examination:
§
§
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