As is the case at the port of Baltimore, navigation in Quebec waters of the St. Lawrence is entrusted to experienced local pilots who take over aboard foreign commercial ships.
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Canadian law stipulates that all foreign vessels over 35 meters long must use pilotage services on the river, explains the Central St. Lawrence Pilots Corporation (CPSLC) on its website.
A veritable maritime highway through which more than 110 million tonnes of goods pass per year, the St. Lawrence is also renowned for being one of the most demanding in the world.
Its specificities and the mastery of French for communications with maritime traffic make it essential to board a specially trained pilot, underlines the CPSLC, in the section of the site devoted to the 150 years of the organization.
This practice also comes from a long tradition which finds its roots in the era of New France.
Three-step journey
Concretely, the trip in Quebec waters is shared by three pilots, each expert in a sector of the river.
A first pilot embarks in Escoumins, before giving way to a colleague in Quebec. A third pilot finally took control between Trois-Rivières and Montreal.
They climb on board using a rope ladder, inquire about the characteristics of the ship with the captain and take responsibility for navigation, explains the CPSLC, which oversees 128 pilots.
The pilots of the Corporation of Bas-Saint-Laurent Pilots are, for their part, the first to go on ships entering Canadian waters.
As such, they have the important duty to notify the authorities if a boat does not comply with Canadian regulations, explains the organization.
Many challenges
Tides with a range of up to six meters, currents, shoals, changing weather and ice in winter are all factors that make navigation on the St. Lawrence unique.
The narrowness of the navigation channel, in places, and the shallow average depth are all challenges. “Ships are often longer than the width of the channel,” underlines the CPSLC.
Taking into account all studies and training, it takes around fifteen years of experience, almost as much as to become a specialist doctor, to access the highest responsibilities of the profession, according to the corporation.
