Sec.15-15a-17. Pilot rotation system

(a) Pursuant to section 15-15d of the Connecticut General Statutes, there shall be established a rotation system among pilots licensed by the State of Connecticut and pilots licensed by the State of New York for the piloting of vessels in the waters described in section 15-15a-6(m) of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies. The rotation system shall only apply to vessels which are required to take a licensed pilot.

(b) The rotation system shall be administered by the commissioner, in consultation with the Connecticut Pilot Commission and the board. The commissioner may utilize the services of an administrator to administer the rotation system. The commissioner shall provide notice in the Connecticut Law Journal and a reasonable comment period prior to selection of an administrator.

(c) The rotation system shall be established and conducted in accordance with the governing documents of the rotation system, upon the approval of said governing documents, and any amendments thereto, by the commissioner, in consultation with the Connecticut Pilot Commission and the board. The governing documents shall include a provision which specifies the allocation of pilotage work, including the reasonable accommodation of requests by shipping agents for harbor pilotage assignments. At the commencement of the rotation system, the pilots working on the Connecticut side of the rotation shall receive seventy percent of the pilotage work in the waters and the pilots on the New York side of the rotation shall receive thirty percent of the pilotage work in the waters. The division of work may be amended from time to time by amending the governing documents in accordance with this section. The commissioner shall provide notice in the Connecticut Law Journal and a reasonable comment period prior to the approval of the governing documents of the rotation system and any amendments or changes thereto.

(d) Notwithstanding anything in this section to the contrary, a shipping agent may request a certain pilot who is qualified for a specific Connecticut harbor to dock a ship in that harbor. The rotation system administrator shall accommodate such request if at the time of the request, the requested pilot is on call, is able to perform the work and is not otherwise engaged in other pilotage work.

(e) The commissioner shall not issue or renew a license to any pilot not participating in the rotation system. Any pilot who holds a license from both the State of Connecticut and the State of New York shall be allowed to maintain both licenses, but such pilot shall elect, in writing filed with the commissioner and the board, to work in the rotation system under only one of the licenses. Such pilot shall be subject to all of the pilotage rules and regulations of the state under which authority that pilot has elected to work. If the licensing state institutes an investigation of the pilot in accordance with established procedures which causes the pilot's work privileges to be suspended for any reason, the pilot is prohibited from any piloting work in the waters during the period of the investigation and suspension.

(f) The commissioner shall recognize the licenses issued by the board with respect to waters within his jurisdiction.

(g) In addition to any qualifications required under this section and section 15-13 of the Connecticut General Statutes, any pilot operating under the rotation system and docking vessels in Connecticut harbors shall be qualified for a specific Connecticut harbor before being assigned to such harbor in the rotation system. For purposes of this subsection, "qualified for a specific Connecticut harbor" means that the pilot has successfully docked vessels in that specific harbor as required pursuant to section 15-13(a) of the Connecticut General Statutes. Any pilot who, on the effective date of this section, is docking vessels in a certain Connecticut harbor shall be deemed qualified for a specific Connecticut harbor to dock vessels in such harbor. New pilots shall be trained and qualified by the existing pilots.

(h) Any fee charged by pilots, including but not limited to, detention fees, docking and undocking fees, pilot launch fees, safety program fees or training fees, shall be approved by the commissioner, in consultation with the Pilot Commission. The commissioner shall provide public notice in the Connecticut Law Journal and a reasonable comment period prior to the approval of any fee schedule, or change thereto, to be charged by the pilots.

(i) The commissioner shall provide public notice when it has been determined that there is a need for applicants to the Program. The public notice shall indicate how many Apprentices are needed.

(j) All other provisions of section 15-15a-6 through 15-15a-16, inclusive, of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies shall apply to any pilot licensed by the commissioner. The provisions of this section shall only apply to the extent that a rotation system among pilots is in operation between the State of Connecticut and the State of New York.

(Adopted effective September 10, 2003; Amended January 3, 2011)