The new Pilotage Act (561/2023) entered into force on 1 September 2023. The objective of Pilotage Act is to enhance maritime safety and fairway navigation competence and to prevent the detrimental environmental impacts arising from vessel traffic. With the new Pilotage Act, there will be significant changes to the compulsory pilotage, pilotage certificates and the conditions for their issuance, as well as the sanctions and penalty provisions. Compulsory pilotage will change so that there is a defined pilotage area at Finland's coastal area where vessels must follow the Finnish compulsory pilotage provisions. Pilotage limits have been defined for VTS fairways beyond which the bridge of the ship subject to compulsory pilotage shall be manned by the pilot carrying out the pilotage or the persons exempted from compulsory pilotage under Pilotage Act.
Make sure that you have the qualifications for receiving or renewing a licence or supplementing it. Pilotage licences may require, depending on the licence, for example completing a pilotage examination or a PEC examination.
More information on the qualifications required for pilotage licenses can be found here (External link).
Below are applications and other forms related to pilotage.
Your application will be moved to the processing queue. The normal processing time is about 14 working days.
If you pay an express handling fee (200 euros), the application will be processed at Traficom within 1-2 working days. An additional fee per applied qualification will be charged for the expedited processing.
If your application needs to be supplemented, a request for clarification will be sent to you. Submit missing clarifications by the deadline.
If the qualification can be granted to you, you will receive the licence by email.
If the conditions for granting the qualification are not met or you do not submit any missing additional clarifications by the deadline, you will be subject to a negative decision. The charge for a negative decision is the same as for a positive decision.
Enquiries by e-mail to:
luotsausasiat(at)traficom.fi
PEC examination theory test from:
luotsausasiat(at)traficom.fi
PEC examination familiarisation voyage, fairway knowledge test, practical pilotage test and ship simulator test:
Finnpilot Pilotage Oy
