Pilotage

Maritime Safety Queensland, as the state maritime regulator, requires that port pilotage services be delivered in a safe manner that promotes Maritime Safety Queensland’s key outcomes of:

  • safety of vessel movements
  • protection of the marine environment from ship-sourced pollution.

To this end, Maritime Safety Queensland has a range of requirements and expectations, against which pilotage service deliverers will be assessed by the relevant Regional Harbour Master on an annual basis.

To assist pilotage service providers in meeting their regulatory obligations, Maritime Safety Queensland has developed an operational policy framework as the pilotage regulator.

This framework indicates Maritime Safety Queensland’s roles and responsibilities and its expectations of pilotage service providers pertaining to certain safety requirements, against which the annual assessments will be conducted. 

Pilotage entities

The Transport Operations (Marine Safety) Act 1994 specifies that a regulation may prescribe an entity as the responsible pilotage entity for a compulsory pilotage area. The responsible pilotage entity has the function of providing, or arranging for the provision of, pilotage services in its compulsory pilotage area.

Visit the pilotage page for more information on compulsory pilotage areas.

Responsible entities for compulsory pilotage areas

The table outlines the entities responsible for which compulsory pilotage areas.

Compulsory pilotage area Responsible pilotage entity
Southport Maritime Safety Queensland
Brisbane Maritime Safety Queensland
Bundaberg Gladstone Ports Corporation
Gladstone Gladstone Ports Corporation
Rockhampton Gladstone Ports Corporation
Hay Point North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation
Mackay North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation
Abbot Point Maritime Safety Queensland
Townsville Port of Townsville Limited
Lucinda Port of Townsville Limited
Mourilyan Far North Queensland Ports Corporation
Cairns Far North Queensland Ports Corporation
Cape Flattery Far North Queensland Ports Corporation
Skardon River Far North Queensland Ports Corporation
Thursday Island Far North Queensland Ports Corporation
Weipa Far North Queensland Ports Corporation
Amrun RTA Weipa Pty Ltd ACN 137 266 285 
Karumba Far North Queensland Ports Corporation

Maritime Safety Queensland has entered into an agreement with Port of Townsville Limited to deliver pilotage services in Abbot Point and  Poseidon Sea Pilots Pty Ltd to deliver pilotage services in Brisbane.

More information

 

 

Last updated
24 January 2023