Pilotage Act 1983

31 Compulsory pilotage; transitory provisions

(1) Every ship (other than an excepted ship) while navigating in a pilotage district in which pilotage is compulsory for the purpose of entering, leaving, or making use of any port in the district, and every ship carrying passengers (other than an excepted ship), while navigating for any such purpose as aforesaid in any pilotage district (whether pilotage is compulsory or not compulsory in that district) shall be either—

(a) under the pilotage of a licensed pilot of the district; or

(b) under the pilotage of a master or mate possessing a pilotage certificate for the district who is bona fide acting as master or mate of the ship.

(2) If any ship (other than an excepted ship) in circumstances in which pilotage is compulsory under this section, is not under pilotage as required by this section, after a licensed pilot of the district has offered to take charge of the ship, the master of that ship shall be liable on summary conviction in respect of each offence to a fine not exceeding double the amount of the pilotage charges that (disregarding any increase in the charges attributable to failure to comply with the requirements of byelaws in force in the district about requests for pilots) would have been payable in respect of the ship if it had been under pilotage as so required.

(3) For the purposes of this Act the following ships are excepted ships: —

(a) ships belonging to Her Majesty ;

(b) fishing vessels of which the registered length is less than 47.5 metres;

(c) ferry boats plying as such exclusively within the limits of a harbour authority ;

(d) ships of less than fifty tons gross tonnage ;

(e) ships exempted from compulsory pilotage by byelaw in force by virtue of paragraph 1 of Schedule 2 to this Act.