Pilotage Act 1987

2 General duties as to provision of pilotage services

(1) Each competent harbour authority shall keep under consideration—

(a) whether any and, if so, what pilotage services need to be provided to secure the safety of ships navigating in or in the approaches to its harbour; and

(b) whether in the interests of safety pilotage should be compulsory for ships navigating in any part of that harbour or its approaches and, if so, for which ships and in which circumstances and what pilotage services need to be provided for those ships.

(2) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1) above, each competent harbour authority shall in performing its functions under that subsection have regard in particular to the hazards involved in the carriage of dangerous goods or harmful substances by ship.

(3) Each competent harbour authority shall provide such pilotage services as it considers need to be provided as mentioned in subsection (1)(a) and (b) above.