Louisiana Administrative Code › Title 46 - PROFESSIONAL AND OCCUPATIONAL STANDARDS › Part LXX - River Pilots › Subpart 4 - Board of River Port Pilot Commissioners and Examiners › Chapter 91 - Calcasieu River Waterway River Port Pilots › Section LXX-9107 - Minimum Requirements, Applicants, Examination, Appointments

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 6, June 20, 2024
A. The pilot
				  apprentice applicant shall be a graduate from either The U.S. Merchant Marine
				  Academy (deck curriculum), The U. S. Coast Guard Academy and qualified as
				  officer-in-charge of a navigational watch, The U.S. Naval Academy and qualified
				  as officer-in-charge of a navigational watch, The Great Lakes Maritime Academy
				  (deck curriculum) or any other maritime academy approved by and conducted under
				  rules prescribed by the Federal Maritime Administrator and listed at Title 46,
				  Code of Federal Regulations, Part 310 . Five years of experience as master or
				  commanding officer of naval vessels or merchant ships including USNS or MSC
				  ships, ocean tugs, harbor tugs, integrated tug/barge units, or dredge ships may
				  be substituted for the requisite educational requirement with approval of the
				  board.
B. Candidates seeking to
				  participate in a pilot apprentice training program shall hold a U.S. Coast
				  Guard issued license authorizing service as master, steam or motor vessels of
				  at least 1600 gross tons upon oceans or near coastal and be reasonably expected
				  to be able to eventually comply with federal regulatory requirements specified
				  at 46 CFR Subpart G; Professional Requirements for Pilot Licenses which are
				  considered by the board to be minimum requirements for commissioning pilots
				  under the board's jurisdiction. These requirements include time-in-service,
				  route familiarization, examination, physical requirements, tonnage service
				  requirements and capability to acquire and maintain knowledge of waters to be
				  navigated. Prospective candidates of good character who meet the aforementioned
				  requirements may submit applications evidencing these requirements to the
				  Apprentice Pilot Review Committee, 4902 Ihles Road Lake Charles, LA 70605. A
				  copy of the application shall also be submitted to the Board of Commissioners
				  and Examiners, c/o Port of Lake Charles, P.O. Box 3753, Lake Charles, LA 70602.
				  Applications should be accompanied by a personal rÉsumÉ,
				  photograph, birth certificate, three letters of recommendation, health profile
				  conducted by a recognized health professional evidencing probable ability to
				  comply with
				  46 CFR
				  10.205(d) and a U.S. Coast
				  Guard Information Release Form signed and notarized, in any format, to
				  authorize personnel involved in the selection process to investigate and/or
				  obtain applicant's records from the U.S. Coast Guard or from any other person
				  or entity deemed appropriate, including but not limited to licenses, casualty
				  involvement, or any disciplinary information. Applications will be kept on file
				  until an opening for an apprentice pilot is anticipated, or a maximum of two
				  years, unless updated. When the association anticipates openings for apprentice
				  pilots, the Apprentice Pilot Review Committee will review all current
				  applications and contact best-qualified selected applicants to appear for
				  interviews. The Apprentice Pilot Review Committee, subsequent to reviewing
				  applications and interviewing applicants, will present their findings and
				  recommendations to association members for their vote on apprentice candidate
				  acceptance. The board shall provide oversight and final approval over the pilot
				  candidate application and selection process and shall approve and make
				  recommendations to the governor for subsequently awarding pilot
				  commissions.
C. Prior to being
				  recommended for a state commission, applicants must have completed, and
				  maintain current, Ship Handling Simulator courses and Bridge Resource
				  Management courses and any other industry related courses that the association
				  and examiners may deem relevant and necessary.
D. Qualified applicants desiring to become
				  pilots shall not have reached their forty-fifth birthday before being accepted
				  into the apprenticeship program and an applicant shall not be under the age of
				  30 when accepted as an apprentice.
E. A person applying for an appointment under
				  this section shall not have been convicted of a felony offense involving either
				  drugs or the personal consumption of alcohol in the 60 months prior to the date
				  of application.
F. Applicants must
				  submit to and pass a drug screen test prior to being accepted into the
				  apprenticeship program and agree to participate in mandatory drug and
				  alcohol-testing programs, required by
				  46 CFR 16 and
				  conducted in compliance with 49 CFR 40.
G. Any signed obligation to abide by the
				  charter, by-laws, rules and regulations of the association or of the Lake
				  Charles Pilots, Inc. shall not be contrary to established rules and regulations
				  of the board.
H. Applicants must
				  serve an orientation period over the route, as an apprentice pilot, for not
				  less than 12 months, which may be extended up to one additional year as may be
				  determined by the board, if recommended by currently commissioned pilots who
				  actively train any apprentice. If, after the one-year extension apprenticeship
				  period, the applicant fails to meet the criteria and standards of the
				  examiners, the said applicant shall be released from the apprenticeship
				  program. The criteria and standards of the board include but are not limited
				  to:
1. applicant's competency and display of
				  good judgment;
2. regard for
				  federal, state, and local laws and regulations;
3. fitness for the position and duties of a
				  river pilot;
4. moral integrity,
				  veracity, capability, and satisfactorily addressing any other such issues or
				  questions brought by any responsible party to the attention of the
				  board.