The Great Lakes Pilotage Advisory Committee held a meeting Sept. 10, 2018 at Saint Lawrence Seaway Pilots’ Association in Cape Vincent, New York, to discuss Committee matters relating to Great Lakes pilotage, including review of proposed Great Lakes pilotage regulations and policies. The meeting transcript and other related documents are available on the Office of Waterways and Ocean Management’s GLPAC webpage.

In addition to the Coast Guard, GLPAC members in attendance represented several professional associations, including: Lakes Pilots’ Association, St. Lawrence Seaway Pilots’ Association, Western Great Lakes Pilots Association, Great Lakes District Council ILA, American Great Lakes Port Association, and CHS. Many other members of the public and the Coast Guard with interests in the Great Lakes attended as observers or to offer comments for consideration.

During opening remarks, Rear Adm. John Nadeau, assistant commandant for prevention policy, applauded the Committee’s continuous efforts to promote safe, efficient, and reliable pilot services on the Great Lakes, which in turn facilitates the effective movement of goods and people in support of the U.S. economy.

The Committee voted on recommendations to the Coast Guard regarding four agenda items:

Labor disputes and the 1994 Great Lakes Pilotage Commandant Instruction
The committee voted “For no recommendation.” Editor’s note: The discussion of the topic begins on page 22 of the transcript.

Billing disputes
The committee recommended the Coast Guard should explore deadlines for industry to challenge invoices, for pilot associations to respond, and for the Coast Guard to provide an advisory opinion. Editor’s note: The discussion of the topic begins on page 151 of the transcript.

Temporary registration
The committee recommended that 1) holders of temporary registrations should have no expectation of renewal, and 2) temporary registration should be issued to both facilitate training and the movement of traffic and apply to all or part of the District. Editor’s note: The discussion of the topic begins on page 208 of the transcript.

Other topics discussed during the meeting included:

• Lake Ontario/Saint Lawrence River traffic challenges
• Use of the 10-year rolling average of traffic
• Annual rulemakings and financial reports – uniform system of accounts and uniform auditing practices
• Weighting factors application to charges
• Target pilot compensation study
• Pilot association training for applicants and partners
• Pilot association compensation practices
• Working capital fund
• Competitive pilotage
• Itemized source form
• Tug usage
• Recuperative rest for pilots
• Legislative changes

To reach the Great Lakes Pilotage Division, please email GreatLakesPilotage@uscg.mil.

This blog is not a replacement or substitute for the formal posting of regulations and updates or existing processes for receiving formal feedback of the same. Links provided on this blog will direct the reader to official source documents, such as the Federal Register, Homeport and the Code of Federal Regulations. These documents remain the official source for regulatory information published by the Coast Guard.