Guidelines and regulations
Regulation of pilotage
Pilotage operations in Finland are governed by the Pilotage Act (561/2023), which aims to promote the safety of vessel traffic and prevent environmental harm. Under the Act, pilotage services may only be provided by the pilotage company designated in the law. The areas and routes where pilotage is required are defined by the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom).
The Pilotage Act and the supplementary regulations
Section 4 of the Pilotage Act stipulates the obligation to use a pilot on public fairways designated as pilotage routes within Finnish territorial waters and in the leased area of the Saimaa Canal.
A vessel must use a pilot in Finnish territorial waters if its size or the hazardous or harmful nature of its cargo requires it. As a general rule, pilotage is mandatory for vessels and vessel combinations with an overall length exceeding 50 meters, as well as for towing combinations where the combined maximum lengths of the vessels exceed 50 meters when operating within Finland’s pilotage areas, unless otherwise specified by the VTS fairway-specific pilotage requirements.
The Act and the supplementary regulations issued by Traficom provide detailed guidance on the pilotage obligation, which any vessel entering Finnish territorial waters must be familiar with.
Pilotage obligation
Pilotage areas and pilotage lines are defined by the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom. In the regulation Pilotage Obligation and Related Procedures in Finnish Waters, you will find, among other things:
- Advance notice times for pilotage orders
- Coordinates of pilot boarding positions along the Finnish coast and in the Saimaa region
- Pilotage areas (Annex 1)
- Information on pilotage lines
- Clarifications on the pilotage obligation
Pilot Licence and Pilot Exemption Certificate (PEC)
Pilotage licenses refer to the certificates required for carrying out pilotage, for exemption from the pilotage obligation, or for conducting pilot examinations.
A Pilot Exemption Certificate (PEC) is a personal license that grants exemption from the pilotage obligation. It may include route- or area-specific exemptions and specify the vessels for which the exemptions apply. Adding vessels to a PEC requires a successfully completed examination voyage, provided by Finnpilot throughout Finland.