(LONDON) — The International Maritime Pilots’ Association (IMPA), in collaboration with the Canadian National Center of Expertise on Maritime Pilotage (NCEMP) and the Canadian Coast Guard, has released a report on the technical readiness of remote pilotage solutions.
This first report from the International Study on Remote Pilotage found that proposed solutions offered a glimpse of what is possible. However, for the study to progress to the trial phases in mandatory pilotage areas, key challenges need to be overcome.
There are challenges relating to system redundancy and enabling critical pilotage workflow tasks. Shared situational awareness, collision avoidance, relative navigation, and maneuvering close to other ships and infrastructure were identified as significant risks.
The report was compiled based on extensive desktop assessments of remote pilotage solutions proposed by manufacturers and system integrators. The proposals were made in response to a request for information issued by IMPA in November. With Lloyd’s Register as technical adviser, the assessments took place in April and May 2025.
IMPA is acutely aware of the need to overcome some of the skepticism of its intentions to trial remote pilotage solutions. Mature solutions are needed to reveal the capabilities, limitations and prerequisites of remote pilotage in port approaches, ports, canals, rivers and lakes where pilotage is mandatory.
“We have had a glimpse of what might be possible, but we are not there yet,” said Capt. Simon Pelletier, president of IMPA. “Our primary concern is how to conduct trial phases that are not skewed by the limitations of technology solutions. Artificial limits will not help us deliver the objectives of the study.”
Capt. Alain Arseneault, executive director of NCEMP, believes that manufacturers and system integrators need another opportunity.
“The first time around, we wanted to see what was out there and not put people off by being too prescriptive,” Arseneault said. “We had anticipated a lot of interest as a result, but this did not materialize. We have learned through this process that a more detailed set of goal-based requirements may help identify a minimum viable solution we can use in the study.”
An updated request for proposals, with more detailed goal-based requirements for remote pilotage solutions for trials in mandatory pilotage areas, will be issued in the fourth quarter of 2025. Manufacturers and system integrators wanting more information should contact IMPA or NCEMP.
Mario Pelletier, commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard, believes collaboration with IMPA and NCEMP is an invaluable way to gain insights into what the future holds.
“The Canadian Coast Guard is pleased to contribute to this international effort, which is helping us explore how navigation services may evolve in the years ahead,” he said. “The insights gained through this work will help strengthen our own services and ensure we remain ready to meet future needs, while sharing lessons with partners worldwide.”
– International Maritime Pilots’ Association
