Pilotage exemption certificates

The Pilotage Authority may issue a master with a pilotage exemption certificate (PEC) under the Ports Management Act 2015.

All vessels 35 metres or greater in length within a compulsory pilotage area must either:

• carry a licensed pilot or
• be under the lawful command of a master who holds a valid PEC.

It must be endorsed for the proper zones of the port and for the vessel being navigated.

A valid PEC allows its holder, when appointed as master, to be in pilotage charge of the ships as named and to navigate within the zones specified by the Pilotage Authority.

For a PEC to be issued for night-time operations, a minimum of one inward and one outward transit shall be conducted at night and demonstrated by Record of Trip voyages.

For a run to be considered to have taken place at night, it must commence no earlier than 30 minutes after sunset and be completed no less than 30 minutes before sunrise.

Conditions of your PEC

A PEC is:

• only available for a maximum length (LOA or combined LOA) of 100 metres
• up to four specified vessels or classes of vessels
• valid for 24 months
• valid for specified zones within a compulsory pilotage area.

For information on individual designated port requirements, get the Darwin pilotage standards or email pec@nt.gov.au:

Pilotage standard - Port of Darwin PDF (1.7 MB)
Pilotage standard - Port of Darwin  DOCX (656.8 KB)