The Newsletter of the American Pilots’ Association

March 15, 2015 Page 1 A MESSAGE FROM constantly changing operating environment. THE PRESIDENT The entities promoting these ideas are mostly

The ten year old Northern European government authorities well- e-navigation movement known as unfriendly to pilots. They are joined by a seems finally to have cottage industry of consultants and academics who reached a point, at least have received funding for test-bed projects. The pro- at the IMO, where work jects are showcased at so-called “e-Navigation Un- is beginning on some derway” conferences. The flagship e-Navigation Un- guidelines and standards derway conference is held every winter aboard a pas- for navigation technolo- senger ferry in Scandinavia. Now, satellite versions gy and communication are being held elsewhere, including one last April in systems of value to mar- California and one scheduled in New York this com- iners and ship operators. ing September. I am disappointed that U.S. maritime If all goes well, in the academies agreed to host these conferences, appar- Captain Michael R. Watson, relatively near future ently unaware that the objectives of the conferences APA President reports required by seem to be contrary to the interests of the students shore authorities will be and alumni of the academies. transmitted from ships automatically, data in stand- Objections to, or even questions about, ardized formats will be shared seamlessly among the these ideas are typically met with the response that navigation components on the bridge, and infor- anyone who doesn’t approve must be technologically mation available on the bridge will be more reliable, unsophisticated or simply afraid of new ideas. We accessible and usable. That’s the good news. must not be reluctant to express our disagreement, The bad news is that some foreign shore- however. Pilots know much more than these people based interests working under the cloak of “e- do, not only about navigation, but also about ad- navigation” continue to promote foolhardy schemes vanced navigation technology. The APA and its to change fundamentally the way in which ships are member pilots have always been the leaders in ap- navigated. We have discussed many of these at APA plying new technology and information resources to meetings and in this newsletter: such things as un- the practice of navigation. For example, APA pilots manned ships, route-exchange, sea traffic manage- were primarily responsible for the introduction of ment, and “monitoring” navigators. bridge-to-bridge radiotelephones; we worked closely with NOAA in implementing the Physical Oceano- Whether called MUNIN, MONA LISA, AC- ® CSEAS or some other too-clever acronym, each of graphic Real-Time System (PORTS ); and, of these projects has the goal of significantly reducing course, APA pilots have been in the forefront of the or even eliminating the role of shipboard humans in development of portable electronic navigation units – controlling the movement of the ship. The underly- the most advanced e-navigation tool in use in the ing belief is that navigation should not be left to mar- maritime industry. iners, but instead should be actively conducted by In all of these applications of new technology shoreside bureaucrats in VTS centers connected to and information resources to vessel navigation, we onboard computers. Related to this basic idea is an pilots have been creative and innovative; but we overestimation of the ability of a software-generated, have also been careful and prudent. All segments of predefined voyage plan (now called a “route”) to the e-navigation movement would be wise to follow make safe navigation decisions in a dynamic and the same approach.

Page 2 ON STATION March 15, 2015 NCSR SUBCOMMITTEE

MEETS

The second session of the

IMO’s Subcommittee on Naviga-

tion, Communications and Search

and Rescue (NCSR) was held from The latest e-Navigation Underway confer- March 9 to 13 at the organization’s headquarters in ence was held from January 27-29 aboard the ferry London. APA President Captain Mike Watson par- M/V Pearl Seaways, sailing from Copenhagen to Os- ticipated as a member of the IMPA delegation, and lo and back. The theme for this conference was Executive Director-General Counsel Paul Kirchner “The Implementation Phase?” Paul Kirchner, APA was a member of the U.S. delegation. Executive Director-General Counsel, and Bill Although the e-navigation agenda at the ses- Cairns, APA Navigation Technology Advisor, at- sion was light, the Subcommittee adopted a tended representing the APA and the interests of pi- “Guideline on Software Quality Assurance and Hu- lots, joining 150 other attendees. man Centred Design for e-navigation.” The Guide- The conference’s highlight occurred on the line will be sent to the Maritime Safety Committee first day when Captain Simon Pelletier, President of for its approval in June. As stated in the preface to both IMPA and of the Guideline, the intent is “to ensure that software the Canadian Ma- rine Pilots’ Associa- trustworthiness and users’ needs are met through the tion (CMPA), gave application of Software Quality Assurance and Hu- the conference’s man Centred Design in the development of e- keynote address. navigation systems.” An important component of the The title of Captain Human Centred Design process envisioned in the Pelletier’s speech Guideline will be Usability Testing. was “e-Navigation Implementation: A HTW 2 AGREES TO REVIEW FATIGUE GUIDELINES Practitioner’s Per- spective.” He Captain Simon Pelletier, President The Sub-Committee on Human Element, stressed that the of IMPA and CMPA, addresses Training and Watchkeeping (HTW) held its 2nd ses- the 2015 e-Navigation Underway original intent of e- Conference. sion from February 2 to 6. Clay Diamond, APA navigation was not Deputy Director-Associate General Counsel, was on to encourage the introduction of new technology or the U.S. delegation. Captain Andrew McGovern to usher in a new way to navigate vessels, but rather (New Jersey-Sandy Hook Pilots) was also on the to assist mariners by ensuring that technology is inte- U.S. delegation in his capacity as chairman of the grated in a practical and user-friendly way. Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee. (continued on page 5—see “e-Nav Underway”) HTW2 took a number of actions of interest to pilots, including: (1) revision of the model course on American Pilots’ Association 499 South Capitol Street, S.W., Suite 409 “Maritime English” (a course applicable to foreign Washington, D.C. 20003 vessels visiting U.S. ports), (2) endorsement of a cir- (202) 484-0700 • Fax: (202) 484-9320 cular related to ECDIS training; and (3) agreement Captain Michael R. Watson ·········· President on the need for more emergency situation training Captain Whit Smith ··················· Secretary-Treasurer Captain Eric A. Nielsen ··············· Vice President-North Atlantic States for cruise ship crewmembers. Captain Jorge J. Viso ·················· Vice President-South Atlantic States From the pilots’ perspective, however, a signifi- Captain Michael C. Torjusen ········ Vice President-Gulf States Captain Stephen H. Hathorn ········· Vice President-Gulf States (Louisiana) cant decision taken by HTW2 was the initiation of a Captain Peter McIsaac ················ Vice President-Pacific Coast States review of the IMO guidelines on fatigue. The cur- Captain Danny H. Gallagher ········· Vice President-Great Lakes Paul G. Kirchner ······················· Executive Director-General Counsel rent IMO fatigue guidance is contained in MSC/Circ. Clayton L. Diamond ··················· Deputy Director-Assoc. General Counsel 1014, issued in 2001. This “circular” consists of gen- William R. Cairns ····················· Navigation Technology Advisor Lisa E. Powell ·························· Operations Director eral fatigue information applicable to marine trans-

ON STATION is published by the American Pilots’ Association, a non- portation and also contains 9 “modules” each of profit professional association composed of groups of state-licensed pilots which is directed at a particular group of people who operating in each of the coastal states, as well as groups of U.S. registered have vessel safety functions, including pilots. This pilots in the Great Lakes region. Each pilot in APA-member groups receives ON STATION, the costs of which are paid from the member’s dues. Any review is expected to take place over the next two comments, suggestions or questions concerning ON STATION should be years during the meetings of HTW3 and HTW4. directed to the attention of the APA office at the above address.

Page 3 ON STATION March 15, 2015 LEADERS OF KEY HOUSE NEW MAJORITY CHANGES SUBCOMMITTEE REMAIN, SHAPE OF KEY SENATE BUT LOTS OF NEW FACES SUBCOMMITTEE

While the 2014 mid-term Unlike in the House of Rep- elections resulted in an increased resentatives, the Senate has gone majority for House Republicans, through a significant change as a the chairman and ranking mem- result of the mid-term elections of ber of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Mari- 2014. With the majority changing hands from the time Transportation (CG&MT) will remain in place Democratic party to the Republi- for the 114th Congress. Rep. Duncan Hunter (R- cans, all of the leadership positions CA) is Chairman, and Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) of Senate committees and subcom- is Ranking Member. mittees have changed. This, of CG&MT is the House subcom- course, includes the subcommittee mittee generally of most interest to with which the APA has the most the maritime sector, including pilots, interaction, the Subcommittee on not only because this subcommittee Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and oversees the Coast Guard, but also Coast Guard (OAF&CG). Sen. Rubio because most legislation impacting Sen. (R-FL) is the the marine industry new Chairman of OAF&CG, while Sen. Gary Peters and mariners would Rep. Hunter (D-MI) is the Ranking Member. likely originate with, Like CG&MT, its counterpart in the or be reviewed by, CG&MT. House, OAF&CG conducts over- While the CG&MT leadership sight hearings on the Coast Guard remains steady, there are a number of and NOAA, and also is a subcom- new subcommittee members. There mittee with jurisdiction over legis- are five new Republicans, and one lation relating to shipping, naviga- new Democrat on the fifteen person tion and other issues impacting Rep. Garamendi oversight body. The composition of mariners. the CG&MT is shown below. Sen. Peters The APA will continue to mon- itor the work of both CG&MT and OAF&CG and interact as necessary to protect the 114th Congress - House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation interests of pilots and the State pilot system.

Republicans Duncan Hunter (R-50th/CA), Chairman Don Young (R-At Large/AK) 114th Congress - Senate Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard Frank LoBiondo (R-2nd/NJ) Bob Gibbs (R-7th/OH)* Republicans Mark Sanford (R-1st/SC) Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chairman Garrett Graves (R-6th/LA)* Sen. (R-MS) Carlos Curbelo (R-26th/FL)* Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) David Rouzer (R-7th/NC)* Sen. (R-TX) Lee Zeldin (R-1st/NY)* Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK)* Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI)* Democrats John Garamendi (D—3rd/CA), Ranking Member Democrats Elijah Cummings (D-7th/MD) Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI),* Ranking Member Corrine Brown (D-3rd/FL) (D-WA) Janice Hahn (D-44th/CA) Sen. (D-CT) Lois Frankel (D-22nd/FL) Sen. (D-HI) Julia Brownley (D-26th/CA)* Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA)

* New to Subcommittee * New to Subcommittee

Page 4 ON STATION March 15, 2015 CAPTAIN GELINAS TALKS COAST GUARD FINALLY IOOS ON THE HILL ISSUES NEW AIS REGS

On February 26, 2015, Cap- On January 30, 2015, the Coast tain Dave Gelinas, President of Guard published in the Federal the Penobscot Bay & River Pi- Register its long-awaited new rules lots, participated in a Congres- for the Automatic Identification sional briefing at the U.S. House System (AIS). The new regulations of Representatives. The subject became effective on March 2, 2015. was NOAA’s Integrated Ocean Observing System The new rules apply in all navigable waters of (IOOS). The various panel members described their the U.S., with no exceptions. The following commer- use of the system for homeland security, search & cial self-propelled vessels must have a properly in- stalled, operational AIS no later than March 1, 2016: rescue, public health, and maritime commerce. Bill Cairns, APA Navigation Technology Advisor, also  Vessels ≥ 65 feet in length attended the briefing.  Towing vessels ≥ 26 feet in length and > 600 HP Captain Gelinas stressed that real-time ocean  Vessels certificated to carry > 150 passengers and weather conditions delivered by one of the IOOS  Dredges that operate near a commercial channel, and regional systems, Northeastern Regional Association  Vessels carrying certain dangerous cargo, or flamm- able or combustible liquid cargo in bulk of Coastal & Ocean Observ- ing Systems (NERACOOS), The new regulations require AIS to remain on are a critical resource for pi- when underway, at anchor, and at least 15 minutes lots. IOOS works closely prior to unmooring, unless its operation with NOAA’s observation “compromises safety or security.” If the AIS is programs, such as PORTS®, turned off when it is otherwise required to be on, this must be logged by the vessel and reported to the to provide real time infor- Coast Guard. In any case, sound, lights or shapes, mation to mariners. Cap- and radiotelephone rules still must be followed. tain Gelinas’ presentation Individual deviations may be allowed, but only included a video that showed for vessels that operate within a very confined area how he and other mariners (e.g. fleeting area), on short and fixed schedules (e.g. routinely use NOAA and Captain Dave Gelinas, bank-to-bank river ferry service), otherwise not like- President, Penobscot Bay NERACOOS observations ly to encounter other AIS users, or on which AIS & River Pilots and forecasts to improve the would be impractical (e.g., lack of power, exposed safety and efficiency of their conning position, etc.). operations. Captain Gelinas’ presentation was well If the AIS stops operating properly, the “person received by the attendees and, by all accounts, was directing the movement of the vessel” (this term en- the highlight of the House briefing. compasses a pilot) must “report or cause to be re-

ported” as soon as possible to the nearest Captain of NOAA USES HIGH FREQUENCY RADAR the Port, District Commander, or, if participating in a TO ENHANCE NAVIGATION Vessel Traffic Service, to the Vessel Traffic Center.

On March 5, NOAA issued a press release urg- While the new regulations now specifically in- ing mariners to check out its web page on High Fre- clude AIS with other navigation equipment (e.g., ra- quency (HF) Radar Surface Currents, which provides dar, radio navigation receivers, gyrocompass, depth surface current observations and tidal current predic- sounder) that, when not working properly, must be tions for coastal areas in near real time. See: http:// brought to the attention of the Coast Guard, the APA tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/hfradar/ has long recommended that pilots report non- According to NOAA, this web tool is now oper- functioning or improperly working AIS to the Coast ational in New York Harbor (in addition to Chesa- Guard. The APA is working with the Coast Guard to peake and San Francisco Bays) and offers interactive clarify, as necessary, the reporting requirements for charts and time series plots of surface currents, and non-operational AIS equipment. complements NOAA's PORTS®, which provides wa- The text of the regulation can be found at http:// ter-level, current, and meteorological observations www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-01-30/pdf/2015- important for safe navigation at many high-traffic 01331.pdf, coastal locations nationwide.

Page 5 ON STATION March 15, 2015 E-NAV UNDERWAY BIG EASY HOSTS LATEST (continued from page 2) MEDICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Although identifying a number of areas The Merchant Marine Medical Advisory Com- where e-navigation could benefit pilots, Captain mittee (MEDMAC) met in New Orleans on March Pelletier cautioned that e-navigation should not be 16-17. Captain Beth Christman of the Maryland Pi- considered a “new paradigm, ” as many of its boost- lots is a MEDMAC ers contend. He ended by noting there is a need to member and one of focus on simple and pragmatic deliverables, truly only four mariners designed to meet the actual needs of mariners on the 14 member aboard ships. committee. Clay Somewhat troubling, and a visible counter- Diamond (APA point to Captain Pelletier’s keynote, the conference Deputy Director- also offered a number of presentations on unmanned Associate General ships, electronic route exchange, sea traffic manage- Counsel) also at- ment and other forms of shore-based navigation. tended the MED- Captain Pelletier also offered his views as a MAC meeting, as Captain Beth Christman (Maryland member of a panel on day 3 of the conference. Not- did Captain An- Pilots) makes her point during the ing his experience on many different ships, bridge drew McGovern MEDMAC meeting. environments, and bridge crews, he was asked how (New Jersey Sandy much masters know about e-navigation and what are Hook Pilots) and JJ Plunkett (Chief Operating Of- their opinions of it. He replied that most seem to ficer/Port Agent for the Houston Pilots). know very little about the e-navigation movement. MEDMAC continued its work on merchant mar- He related one recent conversation with a master iner color vision testing standards, general mariner who said that he doesn’t need anything more to navi- medical examination policies, and a mariner “health gate his ship, just the time to navigate it. In this re- risk analysis,” and also took up the task of reviewing gard, Captain Pelletier suggested that developing au- the criteria for mariner return to service following a tomated ship reporting systems may be the “low positive chemical test. hanging fruit” in the e-navigation discussion. APA HOSTS TOP USCG INVESTIGATORS NAVSAC MEETS IN SAN FRANCISCO

The Navigation Safety Adviso- ry Council (NAVSAC), an advisory committee established to advise the USCG on matters related to naviga- tion and general maritime safety, held its latest meeting on February 18-19, within view of the busy waterway of San Francisco Bay. As shown in the photo below (from left to right), The APA hosted senior Coast Guard investigation officials on pilots were represented at this meeting by council January 21. Shown above from left to right are: Clay Diamond members, Captain Carolyn Kurtz (Tampa Bay Pi- (APA), Paul Kirchner (APA), Bill Cairns (APA), Captain Mike lots), Clay Diamond (APA Deputy Director— Watson (APA President), Captain Jason Neubauer (Chief, USCG Office of Investigations & Analysis), and Lieutenant Commander Associate General Counsel), and Captain Ward Randy Waddington (Chief, USCG Investigations Division). Guilday (President, Bay & River Delaware Pilots). In a formal resolution to the Coast Guard, NAVSAC stressed the continued importance DON’T FORGET THE APA PAC FUND of physical AtoNs and urged the Coast Guard Send your voluntary contribution to: APA Political Action Committee to proceed cautiously 499 South Capitol St., SW and in close consulta- Washington, DC 20003 tion with local port and waterway users, includ- ing pilot associations.

Page 6 ON STATION March 15, 2015

IT’S IN THE HOLE!

On the Captain Marty “Ace” APA NEWS McCabe (shown at lighter left), President of the Boston Pilots, made a side... “hole in one” during a CAPTAIN MIKE LINTON March 1st round of golf prior to the joint PASSES AWAY North Atlantic—South

Atlantic States Winter On February 2, Captain Pilot Conference. Michael J. Linton, a long- Congratulations Cap- time Bay & River Delaware tain McCabe! Pilots and active APA mem- ber, passed away. Captain

Linton, who was born in PRESIDENT OF ONE OF THE NATION’S Philadelphia in 1941, was a member of the FINEST PILOT GROUPS ADVISES “Philly Pilots” from 1963 until his retirement ANOTHER GROUP’S PRESIDENT in 2009. Captain Linton served as president of his association during two different stints, 1993-1999 and again from 2001-2009. In ad- dition to serving as association president, Captain Linton was an APA Trustee and a member of numerous committees. Captain Linton is survived by his wife Susan, his daughter Jennifer and his son Josh- ua. The APA offers sincere condolences to Left to Right: Captain Bill Cofer (Virginia Captain Linton’s family. Pilots) and Captain Eric Nielsen (Maryland Pilots).

TAMPA BAY PILOT RECEIVES PROPELLER ELECTIONS, SELECTIONS, CLUB LEADERSHIP APPOINTMENTS, ETC. AWARD The following groups announced their 2015 officers:

On February 18, Captain  Puget Sound Pilots: Captain David W. Grobschmit Mike Buffington of the Tampa (President-Director), Captain Eric M. vonBrandenfels Bay Pilots’ (Vice President-Director), Captain Eric C. Klapperich Association was honored by the (Secretary/Treasurer-Director), Captain Peter A. Giese (Director), Captain Patrick S. Kelly (Director), Captain International Propeller Club of John C. Scragg (Director), and Captain George P. the Port of Tampa. Captain Thoreson (Director). Buffington was recognized for  Pascagoula Bar Pilots: Captain Walter Gautier his “expertise and unwavering (President), Captain Darryl Langley (Vice President), and dedication to safe and efficient Captain Michael Torjusen (Secretary-Treasurer). marine commerce within the Alaska Marine Pilots, LLC: Captain Rick Entenmann (President), Captain David Artz (Vice President), Captain Port of Tampa.” In particular, William Gillespie (Treasurer), and Captain Jay Boyer Captain Buffington’s work as a Captain Mike Buffington (Secretary). founding member and chair of United New Jersey-Sandy Hook Pilots Benevolent Asso- the Port Heavy Weather Advisory Group or ciation: Captain Richard J. Schoenlank (President), Cap- PHWAG was singled out. tain John C. Oldmixon (Vice President), Captain Bren- Captain Buffington will retire in May, bringing don L. Foley (Secretary), and Captain Thomas O. Fer- to an end a three decade career as a Tampa Bay pilot. rie (Treasurer). United New York-Sandy Hook Pilots Benevolent Asso- ciation: Captain John J. DeCruz (President), Captain Check out the new and improved website for Thomas P. Walsh (Vice President), Captain Robert T. the American Pilots’ Association at: Miller (Secretary), and Captain Brian R. O’Leary

www.AmericanPilots.org (Treasurer).