25Vessels required to employ pilot

25 Vessels required to employ pilot

(1)  The master of a vessel must ensure that the services of a pilot are employed when the vessel is in a pilotage area.

Penalty:  Fine not exceeding 50 penalty units.

(2)  However, the master of an exempt vessel does not have to comply with subregulation (1) when the exempt vessel is in a pilotage area unless MAST or an authorised person has given the master an oral or written direction that the services of a pilot are to be so employed.

(3)  If the master of a vessel commits an offence against subregulation (1) , the owner of the vessel is also taken to have committed the offence and to be liable to the same penalty as is provided for the first-mentioned offence unless it is established that the owner of the vessel could not, by the exercise of reasonable diligence, have prevented the commission of the offence by the master.

(4)  An owner of a vessel may be charged with an offence against subregulation (1) whether or not proceedings have been brought against the master of the vessel.

(5)  In this regulation –

exempt vessel means a vessel that, under regulation 26 , is exempt from the requirement to employ a pilot.