Connecticut Administrative Code › Title 15 - Navigation and Aeronautics › 15a - Navigable Waters - Marine Pilots › Section 15-15a-17 - Pilot rotation system

Current through July 10, 2024
(a) Pursuant to
			 section
			 15-15d
			 of the Connecticut General Statutes, there shall be established a rotation
			 system among pilots licensed by the State of Connecticut and pilots licensed by
			 the State of New York for the piloting of vessels in the waters described in
			 section
			 15-15a-6(m)
			 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies. The rotation system shall
			 only apply to vessels which are required to take a licensed pilot.
(b) The rotation system shall be administered
			 by the commissioner, in consultation with the Connecticut Pilot Commission and
			 the board. The commissioner may utilize the services of an administrator to
			 administer the rotation system. The commissioner shall provide notice in the
			 Connecticut Law Journal and a reasonable comment period prior to selection of
			 an administrator.
(c) The rotation
			 system shall be established and conducted in accordance with the governing
			 documents of the rotation system, upon the approval of said governing
			 documents, and any amendments thereto, by the commissioner, in consultation
			 with the Connecticut Pilot Commission and the board. The governing documents
			 shall include a provision which specifies the allocation of pilotage work,
			 including the reasonable accommodation of requests by shipping agents for
			 harbor pilotage assignments. At the commencement of the rotation system, the
			 pilots working on the Connecticut side of the rotation shall receive seventy
			 percent of the pilotage work in the waters and the pilots on the New York side
			 of the rotation shall receive thirty percent of the pilotage work in the
			 waters. The division of work may be amended from time to time by amending the
			 governing documents in accordance with this section. The commissioner shall
			 provide notice in the Connecticut Law Journal and a reasonable comment period
			 prior to the approval of the governing documents of the rotation system and any
			 amendments or changes thereto.
(d)
			 Notwithstanding anything in this section to the contrary, a shipping agent may
			 request a certain pilot who is qualified for a specific Connecticut harbor to
			 dock a ship in that harbor. The rotation system administrator shall accommodate
			 such request if at the time of the request, the requested pilot is on call, is
			 able to perform the work and is not otherwise engaged in other pilotage
			 work.
(e) The commissioner shall
			 not issue or renew a license to any pilot not participating in the rotation
			 system. Any pilot who holds a license from both the State of Connecticut and
			 the State of New York shall be allowed to maintain both licenses, but such
			 pilot shall elect, in writing filed with the commissioner and the board, to
			 work in the rotation system under only one of the licenses. Such pilot shall be
			 subject to all of the pilotage rules and regulations of the state under which
			 authority that pilot has elected to work. If the licensing state institutes an
			 investigation of the pilot in accordance with established procedures which
			 causes the pilot's work privileges to be suspended for any reason, the pilot is
			 prohibited from any piloting work in the waters during the period of the
			 investigation and suspension.
(f)
			 The commissioner shall recognize the licenses issued by the board with respect
			 to waters within his jurisdiction.
(g) In addition to any qualifications
			 required under this section and section
			 15-13
			 of the Connecticut General Statutes, any pilot operating under the rotation
			 system and docking vessels in Connecticut harbors shall be qualified for a
			 specific Connecticut harbor before being assigned to such harbor in the
			 rotation system. For purposes of this subsection, "qualified for a specific
			 Connecticut harbor" means that the pilot has successfully docked vessels in
			 that specific harbor as required pursuant to section
			 15-13(a)
			 of the Connecticut General Statutes. Any pilot who, on the effective date of
			 this section, is docking vessels in a certain Connecticut harbor shall be
			 deemed qualified for a specific Connecticut harbor to dock vessels in such
			 harbor. New pilots shall be trained and qualified by the existing
			 pilots.
(h) Any fee charged by
			 pilots, including but not limited to, detention fees, docking and undocking
			 fees, pilot launch fees, safety program fees or training fees, shall be
			 approved by the commissioner, in consultation with the Pilot Commission. The
			 commissioner shall provide public notice in the Connecticut Law Journal and a
			 reasonable comment period prior to the approval of any fee schedule, or change
			 thereto, to be charged by the pilots.
(i) The commissioner shall provide public
			 notice when it has been determined that there is a need for applicants to the
			 Program. The public notice shall indicate how many Apprentices are
			 needed.
(j) All other provisions of
			 section
			 15-15a-6
			 through
			 15-15a-16,
			 inclusive, of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies shall apply to any
			 pilot licensed by the commissioner. The provisions of this section shall only
			 apply to the extent that a rotation system among pilots is in operation between
			 the State of Connecticut and the State of New York.