Finnpilot Pilotage Ltd says the Finnish Pilotage Act was amended as of 1 January 2017.
The definition of a pilot boarding area is now more specific. According to the definition, ‘pilot boarding area’ refers to a location marked on the chart, either at the open-sea end of the fairway that has been defined as a compulsory pilotage area or within such a fairway, where the pilot shall board and disembark the vessel or where the pilots are switched.
The Finnish Transport Safety Agency (Trafi) will issue further regulations concerning the pilot boarding areas. The regulations will specify the sizes and locations of the pilot boarding areas.
Certain provisions concerning compulsory pilotage have been further specified, and the limitation to draft has been removed.
Compulsory pilotage regulations have been eased as they concern smaller vessels, vessels carrying liquefied natural gas and light or low-sulphur fuel oil, and ice-breakers. Read more on page: Compulsory pilotage and exemptions
The time limit for announcing any changes in pilotage prices was changed from the minimum of six months to the minimum of three months. Finnpilot will inform about the pilotage fees 2018 in the September 2017.