Interim Pilotage Order for Pacific Area 2

Summary#

This issue publishes Interim Order No. 2 Respecting Area 2 of the Pacific Pilotage Authority Region, made on May 1, 2025, which changes where and for which ships compulsory pilotage rules apply in a part of the Pacific Pilotage Authority region. It also records routine designations and revocations of fingerprint examiners for several police services (announced April 28, 2025).

What it does#

• Extends the boundaries of Area 2 of the Pacific Pilotage Authority by adding all waters enclosed within a line defined by the following coordinates:
  • Latitude 48°15′48″ N., Longitude 123°21′12″ W.
  • Latitude 48°22′27″ N., Longitude 123°23′12″ W.
  • Latitude 48°22′27″ N., Longitude 123°25′48″ W.
  • Latitude 48°16′03″ N., Longitude 123°29′36″ W.
  • Latitude 48°15′54″ N., Longitude 123°31′48″ W.
  • Latitude 48°16′21″ N., Longitude 123°34′00″ W.
  • Latitude 48°14′42″ N., Longitude 123°34′00″ W.
  • Latitude 48°14′29″ N., Longitude 123°32′00″ W.
  • back to Latitude 48°15′48″ N., Longitude 123°21′12″ W.
• Limits which ships must take a compulsory pilot in that extended Area 2 to only laden crude oil tankers with a summer deadweight tonnage of 40,000 or more.
• Requires that notices about pilotage (under the General Pilotage Regulations) must state the nature of any cargo on board the ship.
• Repeals the previous interim order made on May 1, 2024 and states that this new interim order will itself be repealed 30 days after it is made.
• Announces designations of fingerprint examiners:
  • Belleville Police Service: Kelly Menna (designated April 28, 2025).
  • Ottawa Police Service: Mario Danis, Vasco Martinov, Matthew Ramsden (designated April 28, 2025).
  • Royal Canadian Mounted Police: Mark Adams (designated April 28, 2025).
• Announces revocations of fingerprint examiner designations for the Ottawa Police Service: Jim Killeen and Robert Kurus (revocations dated April 28, 2025).

Who's affected#

• Operators and owners of oil tankers, especially those running laden crude oil tankers of 40,000 summer deadweight tonnage or more that travel through the newly described waters.
• Ship pilots and the Pacific Pilotage Authority, because the area where pilotage is compulsory is being changed and cargo information will be required in notices.
• Ports, towage operators, and vessel masters who must follow pilotage and notice rules when calling in this area.
• The named police services and the individual officers listed (Kelly Menna, Mario Danis, Vasco Martinov, Matthew Ramsden, Mark Adams, Jim Killeen, Robert Kurus) — these designations and revocations affect those people and their agencies.
• Local communities near the described coordinates may notice changes in pilotage practices for large crude carriers, though the order itself focuses on pilotage rules rather than community measures.

Why it matters#

• Compulsory pilotage rules affect who must take a local pilot aboard a ship. Changing the area and the types of ships covered can change who pays for and who must use pilot services, and it changes what safety oversight applies.
• Requiring cargo information in advance helps pilots and authorities assess risks and plan safer transits for ships carrying hazardous cargo like crude oil.
• The order is temporary (it expires 30 days after being made), so it addresses an urgent safety or environmental concern in the short term. The temporary nature means further or permanent rules could follow.