The issue of shortage of pilots for navigating vessels within port limits has been there for some time though the ports have always been in denial. But when, during the second week of December 2008, a container ship arrived at the port of Kandla, one of India’s twelve major ports, and waited for more than 24 hours for a pilot while all the berths at Kandla’s Container Terminal lay vacant, then it is time to look at this issue.

The time charter for the waiting ship amounted to more than $8500 per day which may unfortunately be passed on the Indian consumer. A full page advertisement on December 4, 2008, in a leading local shipping daily outlined the problems of shortage of pilots at Kandla Port and brings to the fore a crying need to privatize this part of port services.

A “pilot” is appointed under The Indian Ports Act, 1908 which defines a “pilot” under section 3 ( c) as “a person for the time being authorized by the government to pilot vessels”. A free definition would describe a pilot to be a competent person with full knowledge of the harbour’s navigable waters, tides, depths, contours, and surrounding landmarks enabling him to provide professional advice to the master of an incoming ship for approaching, moving, anchoring, berthing, unberthing and sailing out from that local harbour.

In order for the person to undertake the tasks of a pilot he is required to undergo local training that will include knowledge of surrounding areas, tidal waters, currents, depths and ability to handle ships of different manoeuvring characteristics including turning circle, crash stops, advance distance in various states like “fully laden condition”, “ballast condition” or “docking condition”.  For a person to be able to carry out all such functions, he will necessarily have to hold a Certificate of Competency as Master of a Foreign-Going ship issued by the government. So far so good. However, the problem facing the ports regarding shortage of pilots is mainly due to miniscule salaries being offered to such professionals.

Today, a holder of a certificate as Master (FG)  is employed on regular merchant ships on salaries in excess of $10,000. If he is to opt for an employment ashore as a pilot it stands to reason that salaries commensurate with his experience, competency, and past remuneration need to be considered so as to enable him make the crucial shift from sailing at sea and settling ashore. At this juncture, if the government is still going to look at equating such professionals with the old standards set up in local offices, it will be difficult for them to attract and make use of such a critical and competent bank of professionals at a time when they are needed most and in places where their acumen and ability will benefit the trade and industry of India.

One method of overcoming the shortage is to “privatize” the pilotage services in entirety. This can be done by including this function in the concession agreements between the ports, maritime boards and the bidders opting to take up ports for private operations.

The ports need to change. It is the time to privatize. Indian Ports Act has completed a hundred years. Do we still want to work on the lines of an Act that is a hundred years old today?

Capt Gautama has got a string of qualifications to his credit. It includes MA(AU), MA(BU), M Sc, LLB (Bom), LLM (Bom), Dip TD, DEM, FIISA, FICA, FNMIS, FIII, MIMarTech., MIMA., etc. He is understood to be pursuing his academic interests besides being a faculty with many management institutes.

(The views expressed are purely personal)