Our Work
Advocacy: The purpose of pilotage and the safety of pilots on duty
The International Maritime Pilots' Association (IMPA) is the global body representing maritime pilots. We defend and promote maritime pilotage as a public service, and protect the safety of pilots.
We ensure that international forums have direct access to pilots' technical expertise, including the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the International Organization for Marine Aids to Navigation (IALA), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
We also maintain strong relations with other industry bodies, including CIRM, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), INTERTANKO, INTERCARGO and the Oil Companies International Maritime Forum (OCIMF).
Protecting the purpose of pilotage
What is maritime pilotage?
Maritime pilotage is a public service that allows coastal and port States to protect their social, economic and environmental interests.
According to research conducted by Transport Economics and Management Systems Inc, pilotage, by bringing a pilot's highly localised knowledge and shiphandling skills, reduces the risk of a navigation incident by 528 times compared with navigating without a pilot.
It also delivers exceptional value. An independent analysis puts the cost-benefit ratio of pilotage at 1:58.6 — every dollar spent returns $58.60 in safety and efficiency benefits.
Pilotage is also highly effective. The International Group of P&I Clubs recorded 13 claims of $5 million or more between 1999 and 2018 — an incident rate of roughly 2.4 per 10 million acts of pilotage. Based on port call data from UNCTAD and IMF PortWatch, the estimated average annual number of acts of pilotage is 2.6 million (1999 - 2018), with an estimated annual average of 3.6 million in 2025.
Together with the risk reduction described above, this shows the scale of risk that effective pilotage avoids.
It is worth reflecting that port calls may underestimate the number of acts of pilotage, as multiple acts can be associated with a ship making a port call, and transits of the Suez and Panama Canals and recommendatory pilotage areas, for example, the Strait of Malacca and Singapore, are excluded.
Pilotage is a public good, not a commercial service
Pilotage is often mistaken for a commercial service for shipowners, ports and terminals. It isn't. Pilotage is a public good whose principal beneficiaries are the publics of coastal and port States.
It is non-rivalrous: one ship taking a pilot does not prevent another from doing so. Maintaining enough pilots to serve every ship that needs one is essential to a well-regulated pilotage system.
It is non-excludable: when a pilot directs a ship's navigation, the safety benefits reach many stakeholders at once.
Policymakers who understand what pilotage is — and what it delivers — are better placed to establish and maintain effective pilotage systems and choose the right interventions when those systems need improvement.
Is pilotage a complex system?
Pilotage is a complex system. IMPA is working with expert researchers from the Centre for Assuring Autonomy (CfAA) at the University of York, UK, to understand pilotage through the lens of complexity science and human factors. The results of this work, which applies the Safer Complex Systems (SCS) Framework to pilotage, are anticipated to be reported later in 2026.
Protecting the safety of pilots on duty
The embarkation and disembarkation of pilots at sea is conducted via a pilot boat and pilot transfer arrangement, or by helicopter landing or winching.
Are boat transfers and pilot ladders safe?
Pilot transfers are demanding operations, but the evidence shows they are safe when conducted properly. When pilot transfer arrangements are properly designed, manufactured, maintained and rigged, and pilots are fit for duty, trained, and properly equipped, IMPA estimates a fatality rate of 0.98 per million pilot transfers.
Observers tend to see transfer by pilot ladders as outdated and unsafe, but realistic alternatives are few, and we are frequently asked to consider proposals that are less safe than what is used today. IMPA continues to respond positively to all constructive approaches regarding alternatives to pilot ladders.
Our recent work pushing for improved international requirements for pilot transfer arrangements resulted in the IMO developing and adopting amendments to SOLAS regulation V/23 and new Performance standards for pilot transfer arrangements. These enter into force on 1 January 2028.
What about helicopter transfers?
Pilot transfers by helicopter occur in Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands and the United States. The operational benefits and safety record of properly supported helicopter transfers are well established.
IMPA remains an active participant in ICS's work, maintaining industry best practices through the Guide to Helicopter/Ship Operations.
More information
Find more information on the safety of pilots on duty here.