MOPS for State Pilots
State pilots working U.S. ports navigate crowded waters that present serious risks, including:
- Collisions with vessels such as tankers, ferries and pleasure boats
- Groundings caused by shifting tides and sea conditions
- Allisions with docks, docked ships and shoreside equipment
- Wake damage
Collisions, allisions and groundings can expose you to license, civil and even criminal charges, making the comprehensive protection available through MOPS all the more valuable.
“A bad experience was made tolerable by a very professional group of people at MOPS. My sincere thanks to all of you.”
––State Pilot, Galveston, TX
MOPS in Action
While transiting a busy channel, a vessel piloted by a state pilot was taken over by an unexpected current and grounded softly on the channel’s mud bottom. The vessel was successfully refloated with the assistance of tugs.
A MOPS attorney was immediately assigned to accompany the pilot to interviews with the U.S. Coast Guard and the local pilot commission. The pilot commission determined that the pilot needed to undergo six additional refamiliarization trips through the channel in question before officially conning a ship through that same channel.
Total cost of license defense services provided: $8,000.