Status of Pilots: Portugal 2003

Portuguese pilots are represented in EMPA by APIBARRA. APIBARRA is a private association of the Portuguese pilots, and is working only to represent the pilots' interests on national and international occasions.

Finally, following almost three years with draft papers, the new Pilotage Act came into force by the beginning of 2002, just days before the new elected government took office.

A general approach to the new piece of legislation, points out in the way of deregulation, items of the up most importance like recruiting and selection of new Pilots, are now completely deregulated and left to the free will of our employers, Port Administrations, whom, by the new legislation, became also Port Authorities.

The Port authority has now the power to set its own criteria for the number of Pilots needed for each Port, the qualifications and selection of new Pilots, the training standards, although a minimum six months period of training is needed and an evaluation for the Pilot body.

It is also important to point out that commercial law, like any other private company, now regulates the Port Administrations although the Portuguese state is the only shareholder. But the state itself has nothing but a theoretical and inefficient control over the Port Administrations safety and quality standards.

All pilots’ organizations are fully integrated in Port authority, held by port Administration since 1998. This process ended in 2003 with the inclusion of Azores. So, now, all Portuguese pilots have the some career. Yet, and because of 1998 changes, some pilots are public servants and others are not. A unique status is the main goal of Portuguese pilots, aiming a better pilotage service.

Number of pilots by pilot stations

From these, and including Angola and retired colleagues, Apibarra has 76 members.

Minimum Qualifications
Accordingly to the new pilotage law of 2002, it is necessary to held a valid Portuguese category of 1st officer.
Educational and training schemes in this law are just arise but still without common standards.

Income
Before the changes a pilots´ income was about 90% of the wage of a foreign going master. The payment now is on an unacceptable low level. Negotiations are still going on.

Working data
Most pilot organizations had reach a fair fatigue management so a large variety of working schemes exist, depending of the number of pilots and acts. Depending of the age, there is minimum of 22 days of holidays.

Shore based Pilotage
Shore based Pilotage has been introduced by the new act, but following the prominent recommendations issued both by EMPA and IMPA, i.e., a shore based pilot age act is in definition a Pilotage act, and can be performed only by Pilots, although from a position outside the vessel.

PEC`s
Pilotage is compulsory. A pilot exception certificate is issued to those who proof to visit a specific place in the harbour 6 times in the last 12 months, in a specific sized vessel and has a proper knowledge of Portuguese language.

Retirement
Since 1998 that some of pilots are not sure to became retired at 55, as before.

Apibarra – our association
2003 was the year in which the basis of an innovative action for Portuguese pilots started to be built.

The increased number of our membership demonstrated this will: 28 in the beginning of the year and 76 in the end, 6 of them retired pilots.

We held the 1st Apibarra conference in which all data for Genoa General meeting was transmitted to all.

Actions are being taken along with Portuguese and foreign organizations, concerning quality and safety management, vessel traffic management, Educational and training programmes and studies about Shore based pilotage.