RELATING TO PORT PILOTAGE.
HB2283 amends Hawaii’s port pilotage law to clarify and expand the Department of Transportation’s consultative role in the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs’ regulation of port pilots. The bill requires the director of transportation, or a designee, to provide information, data, reports, and other input on licensure standards, examinations, the number of pilots needed for efficient service, pilot fees, and other safety-related rules for commercial ports.
The measure also revises multiple provisions in Chapter 462A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to require the director of commerce and consumer affairs to consult with the Department of Transportation when adopting rules, setting licensure standards, determining the adequate supply of pilots, and taking disciplinary action such as denial, suspension, or revocation of licenses. It preserves the requirement that pilotage rates be set through public hearing and appealable in circuit court, and it updates the statutory description of pilotage waters by removing Port Allen from the list of regulated pilotage waters. The bill also retains and restates exemptions for certain vessels, including federal vessels, fishing vessels, some tug and towboats, and vessels under 300 gross tons.
HB2283 would modify Chapter 462A by formalizing interagency consultation between DCCA and DOT on pilot licensing, enforcement, pilot supply, and rate-setting, while leaving DCCA as the licensing authority. It would also narrow the geographic scope of statutory pilotage waters by repealing Port Allen as a designated pilotage area, which could reduce the number of vessels subject to mandatory state pilotage requirements in that location. The bill’s changes affect port pilots, deputy port pilots, vessel operators, and port users subject to Hawaii’s pilotage regime.
The available context suggests the bill was treated as a technical and regulatory clarification measure rather than a highly controversial policy change. Its stated purpose is to improve coordination between agencies and ensure safe, efficient pilotage, which generally indicates support for administrative refinement and maritime safety. However, the measure was deferred in the TRS committee, suggesting that while the bill may have had merit, it did not advance immediately and may have required further review.
The main points of potential contention are the shift in how licensing and pilotage decisions are made, the extent of DOT’s influence over DCCA’s authority, and the removal of Port Allen from statutory pilotage waters. Stakeholders such as port pilots, vessel owners, charterers, operators, and agents may be concerned about how licensure standards, pilot supply determinations, and pilotage fees are set. Any change to pilotage waters can also affect operational costs and safety obligations for shipping interests serving the affected port.