Themes such as training, regulation and climate are among the important influences upon marine pilotage, a sector crucial in ensuring the smooth movement of Australian freight.
“A FINAL, critical layer in a multi-layered system underpinning safe port operations” is how Australasian Marine Pilots Institute (AMPI) president Josephine Clark described the role of the marine pilot.
Captain Clark was speaking at the AMPI Regional Ports and Pilotage Conference in Darwin and reflected upon the role of marine pilots in a changing world.
This included the need to “periodically de-risk, reassess assumptions and incrementally move assumptions forward” as the environment changes “whether that be due to changing technology, infrastructure or climate change, or learnings from past incidents”.
The conference was an opportunity to network and learn along with AMPI members from across Australia and Papua New Guinea.
She spoke of “how uniquely small and specialist our marine pilotage profession is in our region”. A recent census of working marine pilots in Australia and PNG showed not only that it was a small industry, but also the high numbers of regulators (one regulator for every 60 marine pilots) across the states and the Australian Commonwealth.
“The ‘take home’ message is that port and coastal service operators must continuously strive to voluntarily adopt and implement best practices in training, licensing and operations, to implement the due diligence required,” Captain Clark said.
Pilotage provides a much-needed function to industry, but at its core it is there to serve the community.
Captain Josephine Clark, AMPI
“Because we really can’t rely on regulators to do that for us,” she said, referring to regulation that was “piecemeal or lacking”.
AMPI president Captain Josephine Clark addresses the
2026 AMPI conference. Image: AMPI
“Even where it is somewhat specific, it can be out of date with contemporary practices,” she said. “At its essence, pilotage is a public service.
“It exists and is compulsory in virtually every port around the world for the public good and the protection of the coastal community and for the safety of life and economic activity.
“Pilotage provides a much-needed function to industry, but at its core it is there to serve the community.”
Captain Clark said pilotage was increasingly occurring within a holistic port operations team, involving harbour masters, hydrographic surveyors, environmental monitors and vessel traffic system operators.
This was all more closely integrated than ever in order to underpin safer operations.
“Almost all ports see eroding margins as customers seek to squeeze ever larger, deeper, wider tonnage through existing channels and terminals,” Captain Clark said.
“Pilotage, if it ever could be, can no longer be considered in isolation. A final, critical layer in a multi-layered system underpinning safe port operations.”
A key presentation at the Darwin conference was from AMPI deputy president Ricky Rouse who spoke about the concept of a new national pilotage entrance examination.
This would be to ensure consistency across the industry and make it easier to verify entry qualifications for everyone, both people who have learned their skills in Australia, or those who might have migrated for maritime career opportunities.
Ports around Australia see a dwindling number of people applying for master mariner positions. At the same time, we see increased regulatory focus on competency, but... there is inconsistency and no national standard.
Captain Ricky Rouse, AMPI
In Australia, the AMSA Master Unlimited (STCW II/2), formerly known as the AMSA Master 1 is the highest maritime license possible and is a license to command any size of ship. It is the primary entry route for pilotage in Australia and most countries worldwide.
Almost all Australian states allow an ‘equivalent’ alternative qualification to the Master Unlimited license, and some Australian states have already approved alternative entry routes to the Master Unlimited license, usually with restricted maritime licenses, recognition of prior learning and some remedial training. So in the context of the entrance exam, AMPI is looking to ensure that ‘equivalence’ covers the relevant academic components.
Captain Rouse provided some context, noting while announcements about strategic fleets were encouraging, the reality was there was a diminishing talent pool with many years of underfunding and low investment leading to a shortage of master mariners – people who would naturally form the basis of the next generation of marine pilots.
“Ports around Australia see a dwindling number of people applying for master mariner positions. At the same time, we see increased regulatory focus on competency, but when it comes to alternative pathways, there is inconsistency and no national standard.
“Almost every regulator in Australia has a requirement for either a Master 1 or equivalent and it is what that equivalent is that is the problem.”
Captain Rouse said AMPI was not proposing a new qualification, rather it was seeking to preserve the existing benchmark.
He said the idea was for an exam that simply asked whether every candidate could demonstrate academic knowledge equivalent to the internationally recognised STCW II/2 Master Unlimited syllabus.
“The standard should stay the same, even if the pathways change. What has been missing is an independent method of confirming that a candidate has genuinely achieved knowledge equivalent to the Master Unlimited academic standard,” he said.
Part of this was clear academic standards, with people having come to marine pilotage from a variety of backgrounds including from cruise ships, from offshore support vessels and from ferries and tankers.
“There is a massive diversity of experience and that is actually really good. It is great to have that diversity because you can lean on people for their experiences. We can use that to develop our processes,” he said.
“But the one common theme is they have all covered the Master 1 syllabus.”
AMPI deputy president, Captain Ricky Rouse. Image: Supplied
Captain Rouse said a graduate degree, similar to the German model, had been considered, however it was deemed expensive.
“We looked at the possibility of an entrance exam, something they have in the US and that is a solution that is clearly working and we thought it could be a solution for us.”
Captain Rouse said they planned to launch the exam within two years, integrating the exam into a national maritime pipeline.
“It is a steep process, it is something different to what we have looked at before, but for us, we believe that the master syllabus is still a creditable pathway to assess knowledge,” he said.
Captain Rouse said there was still much work to do.
“Questions such as how long examination results should remain valid, what recent sea service should be required and how recognition of prior learning should be applied consistently will need to be worked through collaboratively with regulators,” he told DCN later.
“The encouraging news is that funding has now been secured for the next stage of development and we expect the project to commence during the third or fourth quarter of 2026.”
Meanwhile, marine pilot Andrew Baker from New Zealand company North Tugz spoke at AMPI about recent high-profile incidents that had involved pilots, including at the Suez Canal incident and and another with the MV Baltimore.
He warned Australia and New Zealand were “not immune”, and that while some local incidents locally had been of a different scale, they have shared some similarities.
He spoke of an “intriguing question”, that “if professional competence in this industry runs as deep as it clearly does, why do serious and catastrophic incidents continue to occur?”
We live in an imperfect world, errors and failures are inevitable, the reduction of them matters, the pursuit of operational excellence matters, but no system can eliminate failures entirely.
Andrew Baker, North Tugz
“Because if professional competence was enough, they wouldn’t [occur]” he said.
“It means the reason must lie somewhere else.”
Captain Baker argued that “failures happen everywhere, but not all failures result in catastrophic outcomes”.
“I’m going to make the case that, catastrophic outcomes are shaped less by error and failure alone than by the geometry of where they occur,” he said.
“We live in an imperfect world, errors and failures are inevitable, the reduction of them matters, the pursuit of operational excellence matters, but no system can eliminate failures entirely so greater discipline is identifying when failure is no longer recoverable.
“It is one thing to be told your operation features catastrophic exposure, it is another thing to go on for decades without anything going wrong.”
Without incident for many years, “something subtle can begin to occur”.
“Language can soften, high consequence becomes managed, managed is covered by procedures which becomes routine operations. Repetitive success can be persuasive,” he said.
The psychological effect, he said, was to build confidence in oneself and to trust the system.
“After enough repeated success, the absence of failure can begin to feel like evidence of resilience. [But] the absence of failure and resilience are not the same thing.
“The system can function smoothly for years while containing catastrophic exposure, intolerant of deviation.
“Repetitive success cannot remove exposure. [In fact], it can and often does conceal it.”
Over time, he said, three things could separate.
“When confidence in people and confidence in history and trust in the system exceeds physical margins, a gap opens.
“That gap is dangerous because it rarely announces itself dramatically. It normally arrives quietly, it arrives as familiarity, as routine.
“That gap is where catastrophe incubates.”
Captain Baker explained that not every catastrophic exposure can be removed, but every exposure can be named, mapped, reduced and protected against operational constraints.
“What I’m advocating against is accidental acceptance through trust.
“Because the system keeps working, the exposure remains unnamed, not through dishonesty but through confidence… from natural reluctance to challenge a system that continues to work.”
Australia’s pilotage sector is entering a new era of transformation, driven by rapid technological change, increasing vessel size and rising expectations for national consistency across ports. As a national pilotage provider, Auriga Maritime is perhaps uniquely positioned to lead this evolution.
Managing director Dr Rochelle Macdonald said the organisation’s scale and national footprint give it both “a responsibility and an opportunity to lift the standard of pilotage across the country.”
According to Dr Macdonald, the most significant shift underway is the integration of technology that enhances situational awareness and operational decision-making.
“Pilotage today is not just about the moment a pilot steps on board,” she explains.
“It’s about the digital ecosystem that supports safe, predictable vessel movements from planning through to execution.”
Auriga is investing heavily in realtime coordination tools that connect pilots, vessel masters, port authorities and logistics teams across multiple regions. These systems improve visibility, optimise scheduling and reduce operational delays, delivering more reliable port calls for customers across mining, energy, agriculture and containerised trade.
Training innovation is another area where Auriga is setting the national benchmark. Dr Macdonald notes that simulation-based learning has become central to the organisation’s competency framework.
“Modern vessels are larger, more technically complex and operating in increasingly constrained environments,” Dr Macdonald said.
“Simulation allows our pilots to rehearse high-risk manoeuvres and emergency scenarios in a controlled setting, strengthening their confidence and capability before they ever face those conditions on the water.”
Auriga’s national scale enables investment in advanced training systems that smaller, single port operators cannot match.
Sustainability is also shaping the future of pilotage. Efficient pilotage directly supports emissions reduction by minimising idle time, improving transit windows and reducing unnecessary vessel movements.
“Pilotage is a quiet but powerful lever in decarbonisation,” Dr Macdonald said.
“Every minute saved through better coordination and smarter scheduling contributes to lower emissions and more efficient port operations.”
Auriga continues to work closely with port authorities and customers to refine traffic management and collaborative planning, particularly during high volume periods.
Auriga’s expansion into new ports reflects growing demand for consistent, high quality pilotage services across Australia’s supply chains. Dr Macdonald emphasises that this growth is customer driven.
“Major mining and energy companies want national consistency — one safety system, one training standard, one operational model,” she said.
“Our ability to deliver that across multiple ports is a key reason customers are choosing Auriga.”
This expansion has enabled further investment in people, technology and capability, strengthening the resilience of pilotage services nationwide.
At the centre of Auriga’s model is its pilot workforce.
“Our pilots are the backbone of Australia’s maritime safety,” Dr Macdonald said.
“Their judgement, professionalism and commitment are what keep vessels moving safely every day. Our job is to give them the systems, training and support they need to operate confidently in increasingly complex environments.”
Auriga Group says it is committed to the future of the maritime industry in Australia, by investing in a cadetship program that funds four years of education through UTAS at the Maritime Training College, with the first cadet scheduled to graduate in February 2027.
Dr Macdonald said they were looking forward to seeing the success of this cadetship program build a flow of young professionals into the industry with two cadetships being offered every year.
Pilotage remains a critical part of Australia’s maritime supply chain, and Auriga is proud to help shape its future.
As Dr Macdonald puts it: “We’re building a modern, resilient pilotage service for Australia — not just for today, but for the decades ahead.”
Chief commissioner at the Australian Transport Safety Bureau Angus Mitchell addressed the conference on the theme of human capital in an increasingly digital world. While noting that no-one enjoyed having to deal with the ATSB, “it was a testament to the professionalism of AMPI to constantly look at opportunities to improve and where learnings can be made”.
Mr Mitchell spoke of the concepts investigated by the ATSB, describing “some of the really rapid changes that are happening”.
“I’m often asked, ‘how are we gearing up at the ATSB to investigate in that space?’ To be honest, probably less than we think.”
For all the talk of technology, he emphasised human decision making.
“When investigating, yes we [the ATSB] have to understand what went wrong. But in a pilotage situation, when you are involved in an incident or an accident, you know what went wrong halfway through it,” Mr Mitchell said.
“We find that out in the first week or the first fortnight. The ‘what’ went wrong is easy.
“It is understanding ‘why’ it went wrong. What we are looking to do is [ask], how have you, as your organisation, captured the risk? How have you managed it? How have you understood it? What have you put in place?
“Because that ultimately is [about] human decisions. When we investigate, we look very much at humans and the decision-making.”
AMSA’s Suraj Joshi spoke at the conference about coastal pilot proficiency checks, noting Australia’s compulsory coastal pilotage framework applied across five legally established areas in the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait region: Torres Strait, the Great North East Channel, the Inner Route, the Whitsundays and Hydrographers Passage.
The framework is designed to support safe navigation through “environmentally sensitive and operationally complex waters”.
Pilotage is mandatory for vessels longer than 70 metres, as well as loaded oil tankers, chemical carriers and liquefied gas carriers regardless of length (excluding naval vessels).
AMSA also supports safe transit through Torres Strait through its Under Keel Clearance Management system. Use of this system is required for vessels with a draught of nine metres or more and is a condition of both coastal pilot and pilotage provider licences.
The proposed Marine Order 54 (2026), expected to start on 1 September 2026, would introduce significant reforms to coastal pilotage regulation.
Key changes include:
Mr Joshi said a central feature of the proposed order was the Coastal Pilotage Proficiency Check, or CPPC. This is a simulator-based competency assessment conducted by a licensed coastal check pilot or an AMSA-approved assessor.
A CPPC will be required for:
The CPPC must be conducted in an approved bridge simulator with a qualified assessor and supporting personnel acting as bridge team members. The assessment is expected to involve at least 12 hours of scenarios that test safe navigation in challenging locations, varied environmental conditions, emergency situations and interactions with Reef VTS.
Assessment outcomes must be submitted to AMSA within 24 hours if successful, or within four hours if unsuccessful.
Pilots are assessed using a four-point scale covering both technical and non-technical skills. An unsuccessful result would occur if any item received the lowest mark, or if three or more items received a low mark.
Assessors must provide a thorough and respectful debrief, clearly explain any deficiencies and ensure remedial training is developed where required.
Pilotage providers must notify AMSA in writing once remedial training has been completed and confirm whether the intended training outcomes have been achieved.
More information is to be available on the AMSA website after 1 September 2026, once the new MO54 is in force.
The AMPI conference included a session on climate and the implications for marine pilotage and ports of an El Nino phenomenon, a giant circulation in the Pacific Ocean, typically associated with less rainfall in eastern Australia.
BOM head communications meteorologist Ashleigh Madden. Image: David Sexton / DCN
Head communications meteorologist for the Bureau of Meteorology, Ashleigh Madden, said “ocean temperatures are much warmer than average, a sign of El Nino developing”, something that typically lasted around 12 to 18 months.
Such “enhanced dry conditions” impact grain exports as well as affect shipping through the Panama Canal.
Meanwhile the Southern Annular Mode (SAM), a climate driver said to be influencing rainfall and temperature, was said to be moving across southern Australia, affecting mid latitude ports.
Ms Madden said for marine pilots, this was “probably one of the main ones to look at in terms of wind activity and swell” as “when you have negative SAM, those cold fronts shift further north”, meaning quite strong winds, strong southerly swells, more unsettled weather.
“[The] next couple of months, the models are hinting at more high pressure sitting over southern Australia but there is a caveat,” she said.
Ms Madden said “decent swells over southern Australia” could occur at the end of winter and “moving into spring, if we do see that negative SAM, we could see some decent southerly swell across the south of the continent”.
This article appeared in the August | September 2026 edition of DCN Magazine