Oregon Board of Maritime Pilots
Page Annual Report 20202020 Annual Report
2020 Boarding Annual by helicopter. Report Page 2 Cover photo by Peter Schwarz Photography.
Table of Contents
ABOUT THE BOARD 4
MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 5
2019-21 BUDGET 6
BOARD ACTIVITY SUMMARY 7
BOARD MEMBERS 8
LICENSED PILOT ROSTER 9
VESSEL ACTIVITY 11
INCIDENTS 12
LICENSED PILOTS AND PILOT APPLICANTS 14
PILOT TRAINING 14
Board of Maritime Pilots 800 N.E. Oregon St. Suite 507 Portland, Oregon 97232 971-673-1530 oregon.gov/puc/bmp
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Why a Pilot Board?
The Board of Maritime Pilots licenses and regulates all pilots serving Oregon’s designated pilotage grounds. The Board’s major responsibilities include establishing license qualifications and training standards, setting rates for pilot service, and investigating maritime incidents. All of the nation’s maritime states have similar pilotage authorities because the federal government delegates pilot regulation to the states.
Pilots are essential to Oregon’s maritime commerce. They are navigational and ship handling experts who direct the transit of vessels calling on the ports of Coos Bay, Yaquina Bay, Astoria, St. Helens, Kalama, Longview, Vancouver, and Portland. Their functions have been regulated since 1846, making the Board of Maritime Pilots one of the oldest state agencies in Oregon, even preceding statehood.
Pilots have special knowledge of local conditions including winds, weather, tide, current and geography. Using navigation aids, pilots guide ships to avoid conflicting marine traffic, congested fishing fleets, reefs, shoals and other hazards.
Navigating Oregon’s harbors demands the highest levels of piloting skill. The Columbia River bar has a reputation as one of the most hazardous bars in the world. Additionally, the Columbia and Willamette River transit is 85 nautical miles long, winding and shallow in relation to ship size and involves more than 80 charted course changes. The Coos/Yaquina Bay bars have the combined elements of both a breaking bar and a confined waterway. There is no substitute for pilot experience and continued professional training.
Board Members
Public: Industry: Pilot: Dan Retzlaff, Chair Kip Callahan Capt. Elroy Olson Term: 5/25/18 – 5/24/22 Term: 6/01/16 – 5/31/20 Term: 12/12/18 – 12/11/22
Leslie Goss, Vice Chair Daniel Pippenger Capt. Chris Farrell Term: 5/03/17 – 5/02/21 Term: 6/01/18 – 5/31/22 Term: 12/19/16 – 12/18/20
Adam Baker Heather Moats Capt. George Wales Term: 2/14/20 – 2/13/24 Term: 5/25/18 – 5/24/22 Term: 6/01/19 – 5/31/23
Legal Counsel: Katharine DiSalle, Assistant Attorney General since 2015 Staff: CAPT Tom Griffitts, Executive Director since 2020 Susan Johnson, Administrator since 1993
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A Message from the Executive Director
I came onboard as the Oregon Board of Maritime Pilots Executive Director in August. Moving ships in and out of our ports safely and efficiently is critical to our local, regional and national economy. Our pilots safely move more than $21 billion in cargo annually generating more than 40,000 local jobs. We are the nations’ number one wheat export gateway and number two in corn and soybean exports. After more than 27 years in the United States Coast Guard working closely with the maritime industry, I’m honored to be able to continue promoting safety and efficiency of the Maritime Transportation System. The OBMP has been very busy this year working to keep our pilots licensed, balancing the challenges of continuing professional development against the cancellations of courses and difficulty of travel. This resulted in numerous temporary and permanent rulemakings, with the last expected changes just completed in December. We appreciate stakeholder input to these rulemaking projects allowing us to develop the most effective and practical rules, ensuring continued safe navigation. Additionally, COVID necessitated that our pilot associations coordinate closely with vessel operators, federal agencies and other stakeholders to ensure essential transportation continued uninterrupted during the pandemic. Coordination kept our pilots and visiting seafarers safe. This was done with minimal disruption to shipping in the Pacific Northwest. It is imperative that transportation workers in general, and maritime workers specifically, be considered essential personnel and eligible for early vaccinations. COVID has disrupted the maritime supply system on many levels, including cases where entire crews contracted COVID, although not here. Due to travel restrictions critical safety functions have been performed remotely or delayed, including safety surveys and inspections. Enabling resumption of normalized access to ships increases safety and ensures the continuity of transportation. While we have done everything possible to minimize disruptions, seafarers around the world have truly suffered. An estimated 400,000 mariners have been adversely affected by travel and crew change restrictions. We watch with concern as COVID has significantly disrupted the logistics for international crew changes on board many of the ships that call in our waters. Worldwide travel restrictions, quarantines, and crew not being allowed off their ships have resulted in seafarers’ contracts being extended, often involuntarily. Some crew have been onboard their ships in excess of a year. Fatigue significantly increases the risk of accidents; this situation takes a toll on crews and contributes physical and mental fatigue. Finally, we say good bye to Kip Callahan, who joined OBMP in June 2012. Because confirmation hearings were delayed due to the pandemic, his flexibility in staying past his term expiration date is much appreciated and enabled to Board to remain at nine members. We also give a warm welcome to Adam Baker, who joined the Board in February 2020. We have only met online and look forward to being able to meet Adam in person. We are hopeful that 2021 will see resolution to the pandemic and we can meet all of you in person. Thank you for support and warm welcome.
CAPT Tom Griffitts
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2019-2021 Budget: $801,735
Revenue
The Board’s other fund revenue comes from annual license fees paid by the pilots. For the 2019-21 biennium, that amount is $3,405 per pilot. The license fee is COLA-adjusted on a biennial basis. There is also a $50 surcharge per vessel transit.
Expenses Board expenses are primarily for administrative staff, investigation and legal costs. Legal services are provided by the Attorney General’s staff. Legal expenses increase significantly when the Board is involved in a rate proceeding or license action.
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Board Activity Summary
Licensing
4 New License Examinations
6 License Upgrades
57 License Renewals
3 Licensee Retirements
Administrative Safety
9 Board Meetings 5 Incident Investigations
14 Committee Meetings
Ongoing Rule Review
Rates
5 Tariff Adjustments
OREGON PILOTAGE TARIFF NO. A-10 1 Transportation Oversight
Committee Recommendation for naming rates and charges for: COLUMBIA RIVER BAR annual tariff adjustment for Original Issue Date: June 1, 2010 Amended: April 8, 2014 Revised Effective: July 15, 2020 transportation expenses
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COLUMBIA AND WILLAMETTE RIVER Original Issue Date: June 1, 2010 Revised Effective: September 1, 2019 ------
COOS BAY BAR YAQUINA BAY BAR Original Issue Date: May 1, 2002 Revised Effective September 1, 2019
Oregon Board Of Maritime Pilots State Office Building, Suite 507 800 N.E. Oregon Street Go to www.oregon.gov/puc/bmp Portland, Oregon 97232 Fax: (971) 673-1531 (971) 673-1530 for the latest tariff publication.
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Board Members
Adam Baker Adam has been an officer with the Gresham Police Department since 1998. He spent four years assigned as a detective specializing in fraud, forgery, identity theft, financial crimes against the elderly, pawn shop investigations and human trafficking. Anative Oregonian, he has been a member of a civic group known as The Official Greeters and Ambassadors of Goodwill for the City of Portland, the Royal Rosarians, for ten years.
Kevin (Kip) Callahan Raised in a small East-Central Oregon farming community, Kip has been a board member since 2012. He has over 40 years experi- ence in the United States grain industry, and currently has his own business as a Commodity Consultant. He has been a board mem- ber and past President of the Pacific NW Grain & Feed Association, board member of the US Grains Council, including industry travel and agriculture promotion to Asia, and board member and past Director of the Oregon Grains Commission.
Christopher Farrell Chris is a Columbia River Bar pilot. After graduating from California Maritime Academy, he worked on tankers, and then spent 22 years working on the largest fisheries ship in the US, working his way up to Master. He is a member of the Nautical Institute and the Council of American Master Mariners.
Leslie Goss Leslie worked at the federal level at US EPA and on boards and committees addressing land use, coastal zone and harbor manage- ment issues at the local level. She adopted Oregon as her home 20+ years ago and has served her children's school district raising significant funds, running bond measure and local option levy campaigns, and serving on several other committees as invited. She is an elected Commissioner for the Palatine Hill Water District, and on the Board at the Union Gospel Mission in Portland.
Heather Moats Heather has over 20 years in the maritime industry, staring as a board agent and eventually moving up to Regional Operations Manager of North and Central America. An active advocate for Portland’s maritime industry, she has been involved with the Columbia River Steamship Operators Association, including serving four years as president.
Elroy Olson A native Oregonian, Elroy has been a Columbia River Pilot for over 25 years, after having worked on tow boats from the mouth of the Columbia River to Pasco, Washington. He is also a licensed aviator. He was reappointed this year to a second term on the Board.
Daniel Pippenger Dan is the Chief Operating Officer for the Port of Portland. Previously, he was the Director of Planning & Development for the Port. Prior to his time at the Port, he served for 20 years in the US Coast Guard as a commissioned officer. His assignments included sea duty aboard a polar icebreaker and offshore patrol vessel, as well as work in naval architecture and marine safety.
Daniel Retzlaff A graduate of California Maritime Academy, Dan is a financial services consultant in Retzlaff Wealth Management/Morgan Stanley. He has also been Director Investor Relations for Lithia Motors, International Terminal Operations Consultant in Tampico, Mexico, Terminal Operations Superintendent for Marine Terminals Corporation, and a vessel officer for Fishing Company of Alaska.
George Wales As a Coos Bay pilot, George has been working in the maritime industry for over 30 years. He has served in the US Navy, and worked on commercial fishing boats, tugboats and tankers.
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Licensed Pilots
Columbia-Willamette River Pilotage Ground
Licensed Licensed
Allgower, Mitchell 2001 Hicks, Terry 2008 Amos, Paul 1992 Howe, Gordon 1994 Aschoff, Jon 2008 Hurn, Steven 1997 Bair, Patrick (retired) 1998 Johnson, Dustin 2015 Balensifer, Michael 1993 McIntyre, Anne (retired) 2001 Boyce, Christopher 2014 Nielsen, Jeremy 2014 Burnham, David 1999 Olsen, Darren 2011 Burrows, Douglas 1996 Olson, Elroy 1993 Bybee, Don 2015 Olson, Edward 2020 Crippen, Kory 2019 Parks, James (retired) 2005 Culp, Brian 2017 Pass, Michael 2020 Davis, Michael 2011 Patching, Charles 1985 Deaton, Brett 2009 Patching, Timothy 2014 Dobbins, Charles 2009 Paulson, Mark 2011 Dobbins, Jason 2018 Richard, Stuart 2001 Dobbins, Stephen 1999 Ritter, Nicholas 2019 Eckardt, Christopher 2015 Satalich, Christopher 1998 Galloway, John 1996 Sigfridson, Brian 2019 Gill, Richard 2006 Smith, Aaron 2008 Haglund, Kenneth 1985 Verbeck, Samuel 2000 Harris, Scott 2010 Warner, Bradley 2012 Harris, Timothy 2010 Williams, Corey 1997 Henderson, Rebecca 2012 Wood, Jeremy 2017 Woods, Steven 2001
Board member Capt. Elroy Olson gives a talk about maritime pilots to grade school students.
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Licensed Pilots
Columbia River Bar Pilotage Ground
Licensed Licensed
Ackerman, Steven 2016 Matteo, Philip 2008 Black, William 2014 Nehring, Curtis 2005 Brady, James 2011 Sohlberg, Joseph 2014 Christian, Nicholas 2017 Tolley, Michael 2016 Farrell, Christopher 2011 Torjusen, John 2002 Hails, Mark 2015 Valentine, Justin 2015 Hill, Derek 2018 Waer, George 1981 Jordan, Daniel 2004 Wodehouse, Kahai 2020 Julien, Christian 2020
Coos-Yaquina Bay Bar Pilotage Grounds
Licensed
Petrusha, Timothy 2019 Wales, George 2011 Woods, Steven 1986 Yates, Charles 1984
Board member and Columbia River Bar pilot Capt. Chris Farrell prepares to board a vessel on the helicopter Seahawk.
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Vessel Activity
A transit is a one-way trip inbound or outbound between Portland and Astoria.
Harbor and interport moves are trips from dock to dock in port or individual trips between ports.
These statistics reflect shipping activity on the Columbia-Willamette River system.
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Incidents
The Board has historic records that date back to 1898 documenting incidents. The occurrence of maritime incidents has dramatically declined over the years, due to technological developments, improvements to pilot training and continuing education, and a heightened sense of awareness among pilots. There were five incidents in 2020—three involving a mechanical failure of the vessel. When taken in the context of the number of vessel movements, there was one incident for every 835 movements.
The Genco Auvergne lost power and ran softly aground on the Columbia River. (October, 2020)
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Pilot Activity
The piloting profession is widely considered the pinnacle of a maritime career. Oregon’s bar pilots come from careers as masters on ocean-going vessels. Oregon’s river pilots usually come with experience on inland vessels such as tugboats. All state pilots typically have ten to fifteen years of maritime experience. Pilot apprentices come from non-traditional maritime backgrounds and have training tailored to their unique needs. The Board qualifies pilot applicants and selects pilot trainees and apprentices through an application and periodic evaluation process. Applicants are assigned a point score based upon education, experience, licensure and interview examination, which culminates in a ranked list of candidates from which to select pilot trainees. The Board conducted pilot applicant evaluations for Columbia River Bar trainee applicants in January and March, 2020.
Pilot Training New licenses are issued only after a pilot trainee has completed rigorous program requirements and passed a written training assessment. New pilots are issued limited licenses for a period of at least two years, until they have met qualifications to receive unlimited licenses. There were four pilot trainees who qualified and received an original license. There is currently one pilot trainee training for licensure on the Columbia-Willamette River pilotage ground.
There were nine pilots working on limited licenses during this time period.
Licensed Pilots
There were 64 licensees in the state at the end of 2020: 44 on the Columbia- Willamette Rivers, 17 on the Columbia River Bar and 3 on the Coos/Yaquina Bay Bars.
Bar pilots and crew members conduct regular man-overboard drills.
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Oregon Board of Maritime Pilots 800 N.E. Oregon Street Suite 507 Portland, OR 97232 971-673-1530
an agency within the
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