Pilotage services

To ensure the safety of a ship's passage within the port waters of Victoria, licensed pilots are employed by pilotage services providers to guide ships into and out of port waters.

Provision of pilotage services

The provision of pilotage services is described in Part 7.1 (Provision of Pilotage Services) of the Marine Safety Act 2010 (Vic) (MSA).

Register of pilotage service providers

In accordance with section 244 of the MSA, the Director, Transport Safety must establish and maintain a register of all pilotage services providers registered under Part 7.1 of the Marine Safety Act 2010 (Vic).  The information listed below has been collected and is displayed pursuant to these obligations.

Requirement to notify the Director, Transport Safety of changes to registration information

In accordance with section 245 of the MSA, a pilotage services provider must notify the Director, Transport Safety within 14 days after any change to information recorded in the register

Pilotage competency and capacity

The Director, Transport Safety considers that registration as a pilotage services provider is not an attestation of a person's competency for the provision of pilotage services.

Licensing and training for marine pilots

Section 252(1) of the MSA stipulates that the Safety Director may grant a Pilot Licence to the Applicant if the Safety Director is satisfied that the Applicant:

  1. Has the appropriate qualifications, competencies and experience to hold a Pilot Licence; and
  2. Meets the requirements determined by the Safety Director.

The requirements determined by the Safety Director are stipulated in the Determination: Licensing and Training Requirements for Marine Pilots in Victorian Ports. The Determination details the licensing and training requirements which result in licensed marine pilots armed with the knowledge, skills and competencies to safely pilot vessels in Victorian Ports.

The Determination is available to download as a PDF or accessible Word document:

The Determination was Gazetted on 29 October 2019 and came into effect on 20 January 2020.

Transition arrangements and FAQs for transition to the Determination: Licensing and Training Requirements for Marine Pilots in Victorian Ports

The transition arrangements document (including FAQs) sets out the transitional arrangements that will be applied by the Safety Director in dealing with the transition from what was Standard 6.2 - Training and Licensing of Marine Pilots for Victorian Ports to the Determination: Licensing and Training Requirements for Marine Pilots in Victorian Ports, which came into effect on 20 January 2020.

The document is available to download as a PDF or accessible Word document:

For more information please contact the Ports, Shipping and Maritime Emergencies team on tsvqualifications@transportsafety.vic.gov.au


Pilotage services providers

Note regarding pilot Information

Section 244(2)(d) of the Marine Safety Act 2010 (Vic) requires a register of all pilotage services providers to contain the name and licence number of each pilot employed or engaged by the provider. This register does not advise whether pilots listed are currently available to provide pilotage services under the requisite requirements in the Marine Safety Act 2010 (Vic).

Safe Transport Victoria recommends that customers confirm with the associated pilotage service providers that the listed pilots are available to operate under the requirements of the Marine Safety Act 2010 (Vic) before engaging a pilot for piloting services.

Port Phillip Sea Pilots Pty Ltd

2 Tobin Dr
Queenscliff VIC 3225

A.B.N 36 006 413 485

Date of Registration: 1 July 1999

Date of commencement: 17 June 1839

Vessels

Vessel Name ID Number
Victoria III MB 7159
Ranger III MSV 11818
Corsair MSV 12565
Nepean MSV 12837
Petrel III 457070

Transfer by other means other than vessel

Port Phillip Sea Pilots Ply Ltd does not use any other means to transfer Pilots other than current registered vessels.

Pilots employed by Port Phillip Sea Pilots Pty Ltd

Pilot names and licence numbers listed below.

 
 Licence numbers                
Pilot                                              Port of Melbourne and Geelong Port of Melbourne only Port of Geelong only Port of Hastings Port of Portland
Captain Caspar Alfrink                                                  2782    
Captain David Benyan                         4715     
Captain David  Berends                                                 6953    
Captain Matthew Close       2756    
Captain Darren Corbett 3347    
Captain Dale Cunningham 5372    
Captain Marcus     De Fina 4578    
Captain Jonathan Dicker 2748   33725  
Captain Michael Hanson 2580   9744  
Captain Richard Hart 1786   3140  
Captain Ronald Jones 3300    
Captain Mark Keane 3198    5377
Captain Damian Laughlin 4897    
Captain David Lawrie 3107    
Captain Brian Liley 1544   3821  
Captain Gregory Martin 2238    
Captain Bruce McMinn 1294   3747  
Captain Bradley Seal 3143     8311
Captain Toby Shelton 4653    077559  
Captain Kieran Quilty 8779    
Captain James Tayton 9475    
Captain Andrew Herman 9643    
Captain Arjan Visser 18224    
Captain Nathan Owens  73158 84009  
Captain Himmat Dhillon 53166   

Port of Portland Pty Ltd


23-25 Kunara Cres
PO Box 292
Portland, Vic 3305

A.C.N 072 507 012

Date of Registration: 1 July 1999

Date of commencement: 1 July 1996

Vessels

Vessel name ID number
TigerMB 11448
Wyuna IIIMSV 11299

Transfer by other means other than vessel

Port of Portland Ply Ltd does not use any other means to transfer Pilots other than current registered vessels.

Pilots employed for Port of Portland

Pilot Licence number
Captain Altaf Hussain 3243
Captain Milinda Gammune 3500
Captain Gerard Veldkamp 5266

Auriga Pilots Pty Ltd


1A /4 Wharf Street E
QUEENSCLIFF VIC 3225

Date of Registration: 23 February 2016

Date of commencement: 22 July 2019

Vessels

Vessel Name ID Number
Malu Bau 427000
Griffiths458602
Tempest427234

Transfer by other means other than vessel

Auriga does not use any other means to transfer pilots other than current registered vessels.

Pilots employed for Auriga Pilots Pty Ltd

PilotPort of Melbourne and
Geelong Licence Number
Port of Melbourne
Licence Number
Port of Geelong
Licence Number
Captain David  Ellis              1922  
Captain Nicholas Woods 036208 
Captain Lee Weldon 053167 
Captain Vivek Mathew 055638 
Captain Keith Hagen 054609 
Captain David Burns419  
Captain Dean Zanoni3559  
Captain Anuj  Puri 075175096198
Captain Aaron Kavanagh 096199096549
Captain Danylo Lyzlov 096200 
Captain Benjamin  Davis 097008 
Captain Timothy Smolder 097147 

Poseidon Sea Pilots Pty Ltd

PO Box  1430
EAGLE FARM QLD 4009

Date of Commencement: 17 August 2022

Ports: Melbourne, Geelong, Hastings

Vessels

Vessel Name ID Number
PV TridentUVI 459387
PV YorkeUVI 430970

Transfer by other means other than vessel

Transfer by other means other than vessel

Poseidon does not intend to use any other means other than vessels to transfer pilots

Pilots employed for the Port of Melbourne, Geelong, Hastings, Portland, and Corner Inlet

PilotPort of Melbourne and
Geelong Licence Number
Port of Hastings
Licence Number
Port of Portland
Licence Number
Port of Corner Inlet
Licence  Number
Captain Gavin BarryV0003265   
Captain Robert BuckV0432  V0007466
Captain Timothy FitzgeraldV0003484 V0009721V0007366
Captain Raymond McAllisterV0001466V0005375 V0007364
Captain David PorrettV0002432 V0005399 
Captain Craig MurchieV0002915   
Captain  Robert FernonV0002061V0007882 

Photo of a ship's bridge

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