For Agents (or Agents Requesting Pilots)
Attention Agents: All accounts must be paid in full prior to vessels departure.
ORDERING PILOTS:
Pilots can be reached 24 hours a day by calling: (361) 552-9988.
Matagorda Bay Pilots DO NOT take orders for pilot by E-Mail, Text, or Fax.
Due to “one way” ocean going traffic on the Matagorda Ship Channel, Pilots arrange vessel traffic to facilitate the quickest manner of movements. In most cases, movements will be handled on a first come, first served basis.
For Agents (or Agents Requesting Pilots)
Attention Agents: All accounts must be paid in full prior to vessels departure.
ORDERING PILOTS:
Pilots can be reached 24 hours a day by calling: (361) 552-9988.
Matagorda Bay Pilots DO NOT take orders for pilot by E-Mail, Text, or Fax.
Due to “one way” ocean going traffic on the Matagorda Ship Channel, Pilots arrange vessel traffic to facilitate the quickest manner of movements. In most cases, movements will be handled on a first come, first served basis.
Pilot Dispatching for MBP
Matagorda Bay Pilots do not have dispatchers nor an unlimited pilot list to select from. Only two pilots are on duty at a time. The duty pilots communicate with the agents and local port users at least twice a day, keeping abreast with each vessels progress in port. Pilots are proactive and typically contact agents or facilities once in the morning and once in the afternoon to facilitate necessary rest hours and the quickest manner to move vessels. Please be courteous with your updates and punctual when ordering pilots to expedite your vessels movements and prevent delays. Pilots actively communicate with agents to set up arrivals, shifts, and sailings in a timely manner and allow pilots to maximize rest hours. *SEE NOTE BELOW regarding interruption of pilot rest hours.
Arrivals:
Pilots request that all agents with vessels arriving contact the pilots directly, by telephone, with a twenty-four (24) hour notice prior to arrival. A four (4) hour notification is then required should the vessel already be at anchor awaiting pilot.
When contacting the pilots, please include:
- Vessel Name
- Length Overall
- Arrival Draft
- Departure Draft
- Estimated time alongside berth
- CII-EEXI, is the vessel equipped with an engine or shaft power limiter?
- If yes, is the limiter mechanical or software based?
Departures:
Pilots require a two (2) hour notice.
Shifts:
Pilots require a two (2) hour notice.
Interruption of Rest Hours
With the 2023-2025 Tariff Adjustment, the pilots have been enabled by the Pilot Board to charge a “standby rate” for an interruption in rest hours.
Unless an arrangement is previously agreed upon by the pilots and agent, should an Agent (or Vessel) interrupt a pilot’s rest hours by setting up a sailing, arrival, or shifting by more than the standard call out times mentioned above, the pilot may charge a detention rate for the time they were notified, to the standard callout time. The following are some examples an agency or vessel could be charged by interrupting the pilots rest hours (the situation IS NOT limited to these examples):
Example 1: Daylight Restricted Vessels
Agent “X” has a daylight restricted vessel (with no previous arrangements) which completes cargo at 0100 but cannot sail until 0700. If agent notifies pilot at 0100 for a 0700 sailing, the pilot reserves the right to charge a detention between 0100 and 0500 (0500 being the standard two hour call out time for sailings) at a rate of $500.00 per hour. Therefore, 4 hours at $500 per hour will result in a $2,000 detention charge for interruption of rest hours.
Example 2: Shifting or Sailing a Vessel
Agent “X” has a vessel (with no previous arrangements) which has not finished cargo and calls at 2300 to set up a 0300 shift the following morning. The pilot reserves the right to charge a detention between 2300 and 0100 (0100 being the standard 2-hour callout time for a shift/sailing). Therefore, 2 hours at $500.00 per hour will result in a $1,000.00 detention charge for interruption in rest hours.
Example 3: Daylight Restricted Vessel at Anchor
Agent “X” has a daylight restricted vessel at anchor (with no previous arrangements). If agent notifies pilot at 0000 for a 0700-pilot boarding time, the pilot reserves the right to charge a detention between 0000 and 0300 (0300 being the four hour call out time for boarding an inbound at anchor) at a rate of $500.00 per hour. Therefore, 3 hours at $500 per hour will result in a $1,500 detention charge for interruption of rest hours.
Example 4: Arriving vessel to anchorage
If a vessel arriving to anchorage call pilots on the telephone/main number to notify of their arrival and/or requests for a location to anchor during pilot’s rest hours, said vessel will be charged a flat 1 hour $500 detention for the call.