Status of Pilots: Coatia 2003

Croatian pilots are represented in EMPA (since 1999) by Croation Maritime Pilots´ Association (CMPA), a voluntary association of active pilots which represent the pilots´interests on national and international level.

Organisation
There are 7 pilots organisations in Croatia. All of them are 100 % private, owned and managed by pilots themselves.  These organisations cover the pilotage in seven main ports and 18 smaller international ports.

Legislation and Supervision

Pilotage regulates The Maritime Code from 1994, and Pilotage Regulations (1995). All pilots are registered in a Pilots´  Register at the Ministery  of Maritime, Transport and Communications Affairs. Pilots are supervised by the Port Authority. Pilotage is compulsory for vessel exceeding 500 GT. This does not apply to domestic ferries in line, and national war and administrative vessels.

Number of pilots and minimum qualifications
There are 32 pilots in Croatia. Minimum qualification: 1st class master´s degree plus 3 years experience as officer at sea. Special STCW certificates (e.g. tanker safety, chemical tankers, LPG and LNG) are required. The applicant has to pass 50 practical training manoeuvres under supervision of a licensed pilot, and finally an oral and practical examination in presence of ministry representatives and the chief pilot of the local pilot station.

Pilot Stations and working hours

There are seven pilot stations in Croatia. The duty and leave period differs from station to station. Each of them have there local rules, which are specially disigned. These rules must not interfere with the duty of a pilot, who is responsible for giving his service on request to all shipping without delay according to The Pilotage Regulations.

Only Rijeka pilot station has got working shifts grasped in a 4-days system:

Day shift   : from 08:00 to 20:00 hrs, then 24 hours off,

Night shift : from 20:00 to 08:00 hrs, then 48 hours off.

Retirement
Earliest retirement age is 60 years; maximum age for an active pilot is 65 years.

Tariffs

Tariffs are determinated by the Ministry taking into account the costs of performing the service. They are based on gross tonnage.

 

Medical Checks

There is a medical examination compulsory for pilots every two years. It consists an overall health survey regarding specially seamen standards.