Deep Sea

and

Coastal

Pilots

Professional navigation as a matter of course.

Deep Sea and Coastal Pilots Ltd is the largest deep sea pilotage agency in Europe.

We provide ISO 9001 quality assured pilotage services for the English Channel and North Sea waters.

We also provide our bespoke Navigational Auditing Services (compliant with the OCIMF Tanker Management Self-Assessment programme) as well as sea traffic management services to the oil and gas exploration industry. Email us at:

Deep Sea and Coastal
Pilots Ltd
Email:

PO Box 201, Gravesend,
Kent DA12 3WB, United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0) 1474 814444
Fax: +44 (0) 1474 814661
Telex: +51 42737 Dencad G

www.deepseapilots.com

 

Our Pilotage Services

Our pilots provide their service to many different types of vessels, including VLCCs, product tankers, car-carriers, bulkers and fast container ships. They have detailed knowledge of English Channel and Northern European waters, including the North Sea ports and traffic separation schemes. They keep up to date with changes to the complex North Sea buoyage, navigation lanes and reporting procedures, and with the latest developments in Bridge Management Practice.

These busy shipping areas carry a high risk of accidents, collisions and resulting expensive pollution. The English Channel has numerous ferries, fishing boats and leisure craft, as well as dense commercial traffic. The Dover Strait has well over 1,000 movements a day and fast changing weather adds to the strain. The IMO recommends vessels take a qualified Deep Sea Pilot in these waters.

In the English Channel approaches, we usually embark and disembark our pilots at Brixham (by launch) or Cherbourg (by launch or helicopter). Brixham is preferred, being the more westerly boarding point away from busy traffic areas. Brixham also has better protection in bad weather, lower boarding expenses and has excellent ships’ agency facilities, such as crew repatriation, spares, charts and provisions.

Benefits of deep sea pilotage

  • Increased safety - Our pilots relieve Master and crew of fatigue and navigational stress.

  • Passage Planning - The pilot’s local knowledge and experience ensure vessels arrive at destinations on time and at minimum cost. All of our pilots carry their own electronic chart systems and independent GPS.

  • Reporting procedures - Our pilots have detailed knowledge of all local and national IMO reporting requirements in European sea areas and have English as their first language.

  • Reduction of insurance risk - Employing Deep Sea Pilots reduces shipping risks and improves insurance claim records.