Site Navigation:

Site Search:

Looking for more? Search for Articles on the Nauticapedia Site.

Examination Requirements and Prerequisites: (excerpt from the Pacific Pilotage Regulations)

Experience at Sea Qualifications:

(1) An applicant for a licence or pilotage certificate shall hold a certificate of competency not lower than Master 500 Gross Tonnage, Near Coastal and

(a) have served not less than 700 days of service in the region as master of a ship of 25 gross tons or more in the region, and have completed 10 familiarization trips as an observer in the Familiarization Program prior to the date of application; (b) have served not less than 365 days of service in the region as master of a ship of 25 gross tons or more, and have completed not less than 547 additional days in the region as a deck officer on a ship of 25 gross tons or more while holding a Watchkeeping Mate certificate of competency, and have completed 15 familiarization trips as an observer in the Familiarization Program prior to the date of application; (c) have served not less than 1000 days of service in the region as a deck officer on a ship of 25 gross tons or more while holding a Watchkeeping Mate certificate of competency, and have completed not less than 20 familiarization trips as an observer in the Familiarization Program prior to the date of application; or (d) have served not less than 635 days of service in the region as master or as a deck officer while holding a Watchkeeping Mate certificate of competency and (i) have served not less than 365 days of service outside the region as master or as a deck officer while holding a Watchkeeping Mate certificate of competency on a ship of 100 gross tons or more, and have completed 30 familiarization trips as an observer in the Familiarization Program prior to the date of application, or (ii) have served not less than 365 days of service in the region while holding a Fishing Master, Third Class certificate of competency on a ship of 25 gross tons or more, and have completed 30 familiarization trips as an observer in the Familiarization Program prior to the date of application.

(2) A minimum of 100 of the days of service required by subsection (1) must have been served within the 24 months before the date of application.

(3) An applicant for a licence or pilotage certificate for Area 1 must have served a minimum of 250 of the days of service required by subsection (1) in Area 1.

(4) An applicant for a licence for Areas 2 to 5 must have served the days of service required by subsection (1) in at least two of those Areas.

(5) An applicant for a pilotage certificate for Area 2, 3, 4 or 5 must have served at least 250 of the days of service required by subsection in the Area being applied for.

Prerequisites:

Each candidate shall produce proof of having attended the following courses and assessments:

    • 1.SEN 2 /Automatic Radar Plotting Aid (ARPA)
      2.Radio Operators Certificate (ROC) or GMDSS Certificate (GOC)
      3.Bridge Resource Management (BRM)
      4.Marine Emergency Duties (MED)
      5.Transport Canada Medical

    • Each candidate will also be required to undergo a Bio–psychosocial Assessment and be deemed fit for pilotage duties. The PPA will provide eligible candidates with all necessary information to organize this Bio-psychosocial Assessment.

    Nauticapedia

    Site News: April 17, 2024

    The vessel database has been updated and is now holding 92,205 vessel histories (with 15,628 images and 13,173 records of ship wrecks and marine disasters). The mariner and naval biography database has also been updated and now contains 58,616 entries (with 4,013 images).

    In 2023 the Nauticapedia celebrated the 50th Anniversary of it’s original inception in 1973 (initially it was on 3" x 5" file cards). It has developed, expanded, digitized and enlarged in those ensuing years to what it is now online. If it was printed out it would fill more than 300,000 pages!

    My special thanks to our volunteer IT adviser, John Eyre, who (since 2021) has modernized, simplified and improved the update process for the databases into a semi–automated processes. His participation has been vital to keeping the Nauticapedia available to our netizens.

    Also my special thanks to my volunteer content accuracy checker, John Spivey of Irvine CA USA, who has proofread thousands of Nauticapedia vessel histories and provided input to improve more than 11,000 entries. His attention to detail has been a huge unexpected bonus in improving and updating the vessel detail content.

    © 2002-2023