Advisory to Shipping No. A-23-2013
Panama Canal Authority (ACP) issued Advisory to Shipping No. A-23-2013 regardingPilot accomodations on board vessels vessels transiting the Panama Canal.
Panama Canal Authority noticed the reluctance of some masters to provide adequate accomodations to Panama Canal pilots while transiting their vessels.
As a result, Panama Canal Authority says it greatly appreciates that pilots required to stay on board while not actually engaged in the duties of piloting be provided with a cabin that is clean, serviceable, darkened and equivalent to an officer’s cabin. These cabins should have a private working toilet facility. However, the use of a ship’s hospital or a cabin that belongs to a member of the crew is not acceptable.
Although a great majority of the vessels transiting the Panama Canal comply with this, ACP kindly requests that shipping agents, owners and operators disseminate this information to the masters of transiting vessels.
