American Pilots Association News

Pilot groups and port authorities have worked together to grow East Coast ports in a safe and environmentally responsible way. This growth has happened under strict safety and environmental regulations, including seasonal vessel speed regulations imposed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to protect North Atlantic right whales (NARW). Last year, however, without sufficient scientific or economic impact data, NOAA proposed radical changes to these regulations.

On July 17, 2023, senior leaders of the American Pilots’ Association (APA)  and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service, Office of Coast Survey signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that calls for the two parties to cooperate and share information so that APA and NOAA can better carry out their respective roles and responsibilities related to safe maritime navigation in America’s ports and waterways. Rear Admiral Benjamin Evans (Director…

The American Pilots’ Association (APA) announced Clayton L. “Clay” Diamond will assume the duties of Executive Director and General Counsel effective January 1.Diamond succeeds Paul Kirchner, who has been APA Executive Director-General Counsel since 1992. Kirchner will continue with APA as Senior Counsel focusing on issues and projects related to State pilotage and international matters.Diamond, who has been APA’s Deputy Director-Associate General Counsel since 2008, is a graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

In the world of maritime training, MSRC has carved a unique niche in the training of pilots. Founded in 2005, MSRC is a division of the Corporation of Lower St. Lawrence Pilots (CLSLP). The MSRC is a purpose-built simulator with a fully instrumented DNV Class “A” configured bridge with 330° visuals that exceed the requirements of the 1995 STCW Convention. MSRC’s Full Mission Simulator (FMS) is one of the most advanced simulators of its type and is continually being upgraded. The Center is also equipped with three fully instrumented ship bridges, with a horizontal view of 240°.

A safety study recently released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) details 14 conclusions and 21 recommendations aimed at further reducing the risk of collisions, allisions and groundings involving vessels operating within U.S. Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) areas. The study, “An Assessment of the Effectiveness of the U.S. Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Service System” (NTSB/SS-16/01), focused on the performance of the Coast Guard’s VTS system, currently comprised of 12 VTS centers. NTSB said the need for the study was driven by the investigation of six major commercial vessel accidents since the Coast Guard’s…

On June 23, 1995, the cruise ship Star Princess, carrying 1,568 passengers and 639 crew, grounded on charted and marked Poundstone Rock in the Lynn Canal of Alaska. Although there were no deaths or injuries, the ship’s bottom was ripped open. Repairs cost $21.16 million. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the probable cause was the pilot’s poor performance, which may have been exacerbated by chronic fatigue caused by sleep apnea. Among other things, the NTSB recommended that the U.S.

NOAA and American Pilots’ Association (APA) sign Memorandum of Agreement to advance safe navigation in coastal waters. Dr. Kathryn Sullivan , NOAA Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation & Prediction, signs an agreement that recognizes the longstanding working relationship between marine pilots and NOAA’s navigational services. Coast Survey has a long-term working relationship with the American Pilots’ Association , whose members include virtually all of the 1,200 state-licensed marine pilots working in the 24 coastal states and the Great Lakes.

As the summer wind comes blowing in, many professional mariners are painfully aware that the routes they normally ply with other commercial vessels for most of the year will be filled with all types of recreational craft. From sailboats and private fishing boats to speedboats and jet skis. Some of the busiest rivers, lakes, bays and harbors in the United States become extremely crowded with pleasure boaters who may or may not be familiar with the Rules of the Road when it comes to encounters with commercial vessels. In 2001, Captain Jack Sparks, who was then president of the American Pilots Association, told a reporter for The Journal of Commerce who asked about the impending start of the recreational boating season in the Mid-Atlantic States: “I am serious about this. They get in our way.

A Memoranda of agreement (MOA) was signed on May 6 by the Chairman of INTERTANKO, Capt Graham Westgarth, and the President of the International Maritime Pilots' Association (IMPA) and of the American Pilots' Association (APA), Capt Michael Watson. These historic MOAs are aimed at improving cooperation and constructive dialogue between the associations and their members, with the ultimate objective of enhancing navigational safety and protecting the marine environment in pilotage waters. The associations recognize and respect the responsibilities of their respective members and the indispensible roles played by the pilot and ship’s officers in the safe, environmentally sound and efficient seaborne transportation of oil, gas and chemicals.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined on Feb. 18 that a medically unfit pilot, an ineffective master, and poor communications between the two were the cause of an accident in which the Cosco Busan container ship spilled thousands of gallons of fuel oil into the San Francisco Bay after striking a bridge support tower. On November 7, 2007, at about 8:00 a.m. PST, in heavy fog with visibility of less than a quarter mile, the Hong Kong- registered, 901 ft container ship M/V Cosco Busan left its berth in the Port of Oakland destined for South Korea. The San Francisco Bay pilot, who was attempting to navigate the ship between the Delta and Echo support towers of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge…

The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) named Robert E. Kramek president elect of the organization at its recent Annual Maritime Technology Conference & Expo in Houston, Texas. Kramek, President and Chief Operating Officer of ABS will commence his term January 1, 2007, succeeding current SNAME President Dr. Roger H. Compton. Admiral Kramek is a former Commandant of the United States Coast Guard (USCG) from which he retired as a Four Star Admiral. Admiral Robert E. Kramek graduated with honors from the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Academy with a B.S. in engineering in 1961 and attended postgraduate schools at the University of Michigan, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Alaska.