IMPA Makes the Case Against Competition in Maritime Pilotage

The International Maritime Pilots’ Association (IMPA) is calling attention to the consequences of deregulation and competition in maritime pilotage:

Maritime pilotage is a public, not commercial, service that exists for the safety of navigation — protecting people, the environment and trade, says IMPA. Some jurisdictions are tempted by the idea that deregulation and competition deliver a better service at a lower cost.

IMPA believes decision-makers need to understand that deregulation and competition are not sound policies in pilotage and expose the public and the shipping industry to unnecessary and avoidable risk.

“Where deregulation and competition have been introduced, we see increasing costs, reductions in safety and efficiency. In the worst cases, we see systems that fail to adequately protect the public,” said Captain Simon Pelletier, President of IMPA, “To capture the economic, social and environmental benefits from maritime pilotage, governments must create the right environment. This is what the overwhelming majority of jurisdictions do. The few jurisdictions that have introduced deregulation and competition need to change course.”

In one jurisdiction where competition in service-delivery was introduced, pilotage fees have doubled since 2018, while the incident rate per port call is 41 times the international average. In another, 60% of maritime