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
- Pilotage fees, alternatively see parts 8 and 10 of the Transport Operations (Marine Safety) Regulation 2016
- Pilotage licensing and pilotage exemption certificates
- Special conditions in the compulsory pilotage areas