Effective Date of Rule: Immediately.

     Purpose: To modify the procedure for lifting pilot license limitations for a Grays Harbor pilot during his/her third license year. It is intended that certain specified license upgrade trips may be substituted on appropriate vessels and waterways in the Puget Sound pilotage district (PSPD) if they are not available in the Grays Harbor pilotage district (GHPD).

     Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 363-116-082 Limitations on new pilots.

     Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 88.16.105.

     Other Authority: RCW 88.16.035.

     Under RCW 34.05.350 the agency for good cause finds that immediate adoption, amendment, or repeal of a rule is necessary for the preservation of the public health, safety, or general welfare, and that observing the time requirements of notice and opportunity to comment upon adoption of a permanent rule would be contrary to the public interest.

     Reasons for this Finding: Currently there are very few vessels over 45,000 GT (ITC) calling in the GHPD; however, it is necessary for a pilot in his/her third year of piloting in this district to make trips on this size vessel in order to meet the requirements for upgrading his/her license. Due to the small pilot workforce in the GHPD it is essential that license upgrades are accomplished without delay. A delay of this sort could result in not having adequate pilot coverage for vessels routinely requiring a pilot, or for vessels in distress not being attended to efficiently. Allowing a Grays Harbor pilot to perform upgrade trips in the PSPD on like vessels and waterways would provide for timely lifting of license limitations.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0;      Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0.

     Date Adopted: March 14, 2008.

Peggy Larson

Administrator

OTS-1389.1

AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 07-17-148, filed 8/21/07, effective 9/21/07)

WAC 363-116-082   Limitations on new pilots.   (1) The following limitations and pilot license upgrade requirements shall apply to a newly licensed pilot during his/her first five years of active service. For purposes of this section, the term "tank vessel" shall, in addition to tank ships, include any articulated or integrated tug and tank barge combinations, and any tonnage restrictions thereon shall be calculated by including the gross tonnage of the tug and tank barge combined. For purposes of this section, the term "petroleum products" shall include crude oil, refined products, liquefied natural gas, and liquified petroleum gas. GT (ITC) as used in this section refers to gross tonnages measured in accordance with the requirements of the 1969 International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships.

     (2) Puget Sound pilotage district - license limitation periods. Except for trips being made for pilot license upgrades, licenses issued in the Puget Sound pilotage district shall have the following limitations:

License Year	Maximum Size of Tank Vessels Carrying Petroleum Products as Bulk Cargo	Maximum Size of Other Vessels
1	Piloting on vessels of any size prohibited	30,000 GT (ITC) or 660 feet except for passenger vessels which may only have a maximum size of 5000 GT (ITC)
2	30,000 GT (ITC)	38,000 GT (ITC)
3	38,000 GT (ITC)	48,000 GT (ITC)
4	45,000 GT (ITC)	60,000 GT (ITC)
5	55,000 GT (ITC)	75,000 GT (ITC)

     (3) Puget Sound pilotage district - pilot license upgrade requirements. Progressive lifting of tonnage limitations requires a newly licensed pilot to satisfactorily pilot vessels on the trips specified in this section. The trainee evaluation committee shall recommend to the board a series of eight trips to be made by each pilot in the last one hundred twenty days of each year of the license limitation periods specified in subsection (2) of this section, except that pilots whose license anniversary date is less than one hundred twenty days after the effective date of this section shall only be required to make three such trips prior to the first license anniversary subsequent to the effective date of this section. As to these trips, the trainee evaluation committee shall specify the size and type of the vessel; origin and destination, whether the transit is to include a docking, waterway transit or other particular maneuvering requirement, whether any tank vessel trips are to be made while in ballast or loaded and whether the trip shall be taken with training pilots, trainee evaluation committee member pilots or pilots with a specified experience level. To the extent practical, the trips shall be on vessels of at least a size that falls between the upper limit in the expiring license limitation and the upper limit in the upcoming license limitation period. All of these trips shall be complete trips between one port and another port, or between the pilot station and a port. The supervising pilots shall complete and submit to the board an evaluation form provided by the board for each trip a new pilot performs.

     (4) Grays Harbor pilotage district - license limitation periods. Pilots licensed in the Grays Harbor pilotage district shall not pilot vessels in violation of the restrictions set forth in the table below during the indicated license year.

License Year	Maximum Size of Tank Vessels Carrying Petroleum Products	Maximum Size of Other Vessels
1	Piloting on vessels of any size prohibited	25,000 GT (ITC) except that piloting on vessels of any size is prohibited through the Chehalis River Bridge unless vessel is in ballast and does not exceed 25,000 GT (ITC)
2	10,000 GT (ITC)	30,000 GT (ITC)
3	45,000 GT (ITC)	45,000 GT (ITC)
4	60,000 GT (ITC)	60,000 GT (ITC)
5	75,000 GT (ITC)	75,000 GT (ITC)

     Notwithstanding subsection (7) of this section, upon determination that a bona fide safety concern may result from no pilot without license restrictions being available within a reasonable time to pilot a vessel requiring pilotage services, the chairperson or acting chairperson of the board, on a single trip basis, may authorize a newly licensed pilot holding a restricted license to provide pilotage services to the vessel, irrespective of the tonnage, service or location of the assigned berth of the vessel.

     (5) Grays Harbor pilotage district - pilot license upgrade requirements.

     (a) Prior to the expiration of the first license year, a new pilot must make five license upgrade trips. Three of these trips shall be through the Chehalis River bridge on loaded or partially loaded vessels. The other trips shall be on vessels in excess of 25,000 GT (ITC) and involve docking and passage to or from the sea buoy; and one of these trips shall involve turning the vessel in the waterway.

     (b) Prior to the expiration of the second license year, a new pilot must make two license upgrade trips on tank vessels in excess of 10,000 GT (ITC) and one trip on a vessel in excess of 30,000 GT (ITC). Two of these trips shall involve docking and passage to or from the sea buoy; and one of these trips shall involve turning the vessel in the waterway. Upon satisfactory completion of the two upgrade trips upon tank vessels and completion of the second license year, the pilot will be authorized to pilot tank vessels in accordance with the limitations specified in subsection (4) of this section. Upon satisfactory completion of the one upgrade trip upon a vessel in excess of 30,000 GT (ITC) and completion of the second license year, the pilot will be authorized to pilot vessels in accordance with the limitations specified in subsection (4) of this section.

     (c) Prior to the expiration of the third license year, a new pilot must make three license upgrade trips on vessels in excess of 45,000 GT (ITC) or on the nearest larger size vessels available. Two of these trips shall involve docking and passage to or from the sea buoy; and one of these trips shall involve turning the vessel in the waterway. If these trips are not available in the Grays Harbor pilotage district, specified trips in the Puget Sound pilotage district may be substituted. Two of these trips shall involve docking or undocking and passage to or from the pilot boarding ground in the Puget Sound pilotage district, or docking or undocking between two ports in the Puget Sound pilotage district that are a minimum of twenty miles apart; and one trip shall involve turning, or maneuvering in such a manner to substantially change the heading of, the vessel in a waterway similar to that in the Grays Harbor pilotage district.

     (d) Prior to the expiration of the fourth license year, a new pilot must make two license upgrade trips on vessels in excess of 60,000 GT (ITC) or on the nearest larger size vessels available.

     (e) Prior to the expiration of the fifth license year, a new pilot must make two license upgrade trips on vessels in excess of 75,000 GT (ITC) or on the nearest larger size vessels available.

     (f) Notwithstanding (c), (d), and/or (e) of this subsection not being accomplished due to unavailability of vessels, in the sixth license year a pilot will be issued a license without limitations.

     (6) The initial license shall contain the limitations contained above and list the date of commencement and expiration of such periods. If a newly licensed pilot is unable to pilot for forty-five days or more in any one of the five years, he/she shall notify the board and request a revised schedule of limitations.

     (7) Except as provided in subsection (4) of this section, no pilot shall be dispatched to, or accept an assignment on, any vessel which exceeds the limitations of his/her license. On vessels in which there is more than one pilot assigned, the license limitations shall apply only to the pilot in charge.

     (8) All limitations on a pilot's license shall be lifted at the beginning of the sixth year of piloting provided he/she has submitted to the board a statement attesting to the fact that he/she has completed all the required license upgrade trips and the vessel simulator courses.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 88.16.105 and 88.16.035. 07-17-148, § 363-116-082, filed 8/21/07, effective 9/21/07. Statutory Authority: Chapter 88.16 RCW and 2005 c 26. 05-18-021, § 363-116-082, filed 8/29/05, effective 10/1/05. Statutory Authority: RCW 88.16.105 and 88.16.035. 05-04-028, § 363-116-082, filed 1/26/05, effective 2/26/05. Statutory Authority: RCW 88.16.105. 99-08-003, § 363-116-082, filed 3/25/99, effective 4/25/99; 97-14-032, § 363-116-082, filed 6/25/97, effective 7/26/97. Recodified as § 363-116-082. 97-08-042, filed 3/28/97, effective 3/28/97. Statutory Authority: RCW 88.16.035 and 88.16.105. 93-09-016, § 296-116-082, filed 4/14/93, effective 5/15/93. Statutory Authority: RCW 88.16.105. 92-24-056, § 296-116-082, filed 11/30/92, effective 12/31/92; 92-08-051, § 296-116-082, filed 3/26/92, effective 4/26/92; 89-18-063 (Order 89-6, Resolution No. 89-6), § 296-116-082, filed 9/1/89, effective 10/2/89; 89-11-060 (Order 89-5, Resolution No. 89-5), § 296-116-082, filed 5/18/89. Statutory Authority: RCW 88.16.035. 80-03-081 (Order 79-6, Resolution No. 79-6), § 296-116-082, filed 3/4/80.]

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