The Port of Los Angeles Tariff requires all ships under registry to have a POLA pilot aboard when the ship enters the Port. The pilot has been trained in ship handling and to be familiar with all the navigation features of the Port. These features include the depth of water, currents, tides, winds, peculiarities of the various berths, channel widths, the vessel pilot information system, and the different characteristics of each type of ship. The pilot advises the captain of the ship about these features and actually directs the navigation of the ship through the Port to the ship’s final berth.
Pilots are on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The Los Angeles Pilot Service dates back to 1907, when the Port was founded. Today, the Pilot Service employs 35 dedicated professionals, combining the skills of pilots, dispatchers, and boat crew to provide expert pilotage services to Port customers
The mission of the Los Angeles Pilot Service is to provide safe, reliable, and efficient pilotage and marine services. Over the last decade, the Los Angeles Pilots have safely completed more than 55,000 vessel movements. They are probably the best-trained pilots in the maritime industry. After a rigorous 2-year training program, each pilot attends manned-model ship handling courses every 4 years and ship simulator training every 2 years.
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