Study on Remote Pilotage Launches to Enhance Navigation Safety and Innovation

The International Maritime Pilots’ Association (IMPA) and its partners have launched a study on remote pilotage, with the aim of evaluating its feasibility, readiness, and impacts on safe navigation practices and systems. Partners in this study include the Canadian National Centre of Expertise on Maritime Pilotage (NCEMP) and the Canadian Coast Guard. The study seeks to provide unbiased, science-based insights into pilotage as a socio-technical system, as well as the risks, impacts, benefits, and opportunities of remote pilotage. Trials for this study will be conducted over the next two years in three different ways to ensure a safe, thorough, and scalable process.

The first series of trials will be conducted in a simulated environment on-shore to assess the technical performance of solutions for directing ship navigation in mandatory pilotage waters. The second series of trials will take place onboard a Canadian Coast Guard vessel in pilotage waters to validate the technical and functional performance established in the simulated environment. The final series of trials are expected to occur on commercial ships operating in mandatory pilotage waters, providing a near real-life environment for testing.

Captain Alain Arseneault, Executive Director of the National Center of Expertise on Maritime Pilotage, has invited manufacturers and system integrators to demonstrate how their solutions for remote piloting meet the needs of maritime pilots. Proposals for participation in the study must be submitted by December 31, 2024. The goal is to find solutions that can help safely push the limits of what is possible in remote pilotage.

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